Adaptive support apparel systems and methods

ABSTRACT

Systems and apparatus related to adaptive support garments including adaptive support structures, lacing systems, and an adaptive engine are discussed. In an example, an adaptive support apparel system includes an activity sensor, an adaptive support garment, and a control circuit. The activity sensor monitors activity of a user. The adaptive support garment includes an integrated adaptive support system coupled to the adaptive engine to automatically adjust a portion of the adaptive support garment through manipulation of the adaptive support system. The control circuit configured to send commands to the adaptive engine in response to input received from the activity sensor.

PRIORITY APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Pat. Application Serial No.16/887,093, filed May 29, 2020, which application claims the benefit ofpriority to U.S. Provisional Pat. Application Serial No. 62/855,712,filed May 31, 2019, the contents of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entireties.

The following specification describes various examples of adaptivesupport apparel as well as various aspects of lacing systems utilizedwithin the adaptive support apparel. For example, various adaptivemechanisms both manual and automatic including a motorized lacingsystem, motorized and non-motorized lacing engines, lacing/strapcomponents related to the lacing engines, and automated lacing apparelplatforms are disclosed.

BACKGROUND

Apparel, such as bras, tops, bottoms, tights, leggings, underwear, etc.can be constructed to provide support to a wearer during variousactivities Such apparel may include minimal adjustments for size, bodytype, activity preferences, among other things and may have limitedadjustment or adaptability.

OVERVIEW

The present inventors have recognized, among other things, a need forimproved fit and function of support apparel, such as bras, tights, andvarious other garments, undergarments, or baselayers (also referred toherein as support garments). One example piece of apparel is an adaptivebra that can custom fit to individual body contours and automatically ormanually adjust to different dynamic conditions (e.g., changes inactivity level). For example, an adaptive bra can adjust from maximumcomfort to maximum breast support as a wearer transitions from restingto strenuous exercise. An adaptive bra can also utilize automatedadjustment mechanisms coupled to movement sensors to dynamically adjustto inhibit unwanted movement of the breasts during activities, such asrunning as an example. Adaptive apparel, such as adaptive tightsdiscussed below, can also provide dynamic support with the potential toenhance performance or reduce potential for injury. Adjustablecompression sleeves can assist with recovery or support anatomy duringcertain activities. Numerous examples of the various support apparelintroduced here are discussed throughout the following disclosure.

The discussed adaptive support apparel can include support mechanisms,such as lacing, straps, lace guides, and automated/semi-automated/manualtightening engines (also discussed as lacing engines or adaptiveengines). The lacing can include intricate patterns of thin cord strungthrough various portions of the adaptive apparel item to enable selectregions of the apparel to be tightened or loosened in accordance withthe desired outcome. The lacing can include yarns, brio cables, orsimilar structures integrated during the manufacturing (e.g., knitting)process. For example, dedicated yarns or brio cables can be knit intokey areas of an adaptive garment and routed external to the garment tointerface with other lacing structures and/or adaptive engines tofacilitate adjustments. The application uses the term “lacing” broadlyto cover a wide variety of materials and structures used to createadaptive support structures within an adaptive support garment. Thelacing can function as an adaptive support structure that operates tochange the relative position of various portions of the adaptive supportapparel. The thin cord or yarn can be either elastic or inelasticdepending on the particular region and desired outcome. Elastic cord canprovide a tightening effect over a broader region, while inelasticlacing can transmit a pulling force to a more specific region. Strapmaterial (e.g. webbing or knit material with some width dimension) canbe utilized selectively to better distribute pulling forces andpotentially increase comfort. In certain examples, lacing may couple inone or more places to straps via fixed connections or lace guide typeconnections. Lace guides can include pivots, eyelets, tube structures,and textile-based tunnels, among other structures to guide lacingthrough the adaptive apparel to create the desire support structure.

The term “support garment” as used herein is meant to encompass anynumber of support garments such as bras, sport bras, tank tops,camisoles with built-in support, swimming suit tops, body suits,baselayers, and other styles or types of support garments used tosupport body tissue (e.g., breast tissue). Support garments can alsoinclude underwear, tights, leggings, baselayers (e.g., tight-fittingtops or bottoms), sleeves, and athletic supporters, among other things.Further, the term “breast contacting surface” as used herein is meant toencompass any type of structure that is in contact with or intended tobe positioned adjacent to the wearer’s breasts when the support garmentis worn. In example aspects, and for a typical wearer, a support garmentcomprises a first breast contacting surface configured to contact or bepositioned adjacent to, for instance, a wearer’s right breast and asecond breast contacting surface configured to contact or be positionedadjacent to, for instance, a wearer’s left breast. In example aspects,the support garment comprises separate distinct cups (molded orunmolded) with each cup comprising a breast contacting surface and witheach cup configured to cover or encapsulate a separate breast, or thesupport garment may comprise a unitary or continuous band of materialthat makes contact with both of the wearer’s breasts. Any and allaspects, and any variation thereof, are contemplated as being withinaspects herein. While the majority of the examples involve adaptivebras, the principals can be applied to various other support garmentsincluding compression tights, compression sleeves, and even athleticsupporters (commonly referred to as a jockstrap).

The present inventors have also recognized, among other things, a needfor dynamically modifying the support provided by certain types ofsupport apparel based on a change in activity level. The need formodifying the support stems from both a long-term comfort and neededimprovements in functionality during activities. Accordingly, a systemhas been developed including activity sensors, such as inertialmeasurement units (IMUs), global positioning sensors (GPS) or heart ratemonitors among others, communicating with a control circuit that sendscommands to an adaptive support apparel including an adaptive engine tofacilitate automatic changes in support based on changes in detectedactivity levels. These systems can provide a wearer all-day comfortwithout compromising performance orientated support. Prior tointegration of a complete system, a wearer would either need to changesupport apparel for different activities or struggle with multiplemanual adjustments.

The activity sensors discussed herein can include any sensor thatprovides an indication of a level of physical activity of a user, aswell as any sensor that provides an indication of forces (dynamic orstatic) imparted on an adaptive support garment during use. Sensors canbe embedded into an adaptive support garment to provide data related toforces imparted on portions of a support structure, such as straps,laces, cables, or regions of fabric. Specific sensors, such as straingauges or stretch capacitive sensors are discussed below.

The following examples of adaptive support apparel will further outlinehow the various structures can be utilized to deliver dynamicallyadaptable support apparel. The disclosed concepts can be used inadditional apparel items not specifically discussed to perform similarsupport functions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numeralsmay describe similar components in different views. Like numerals havingdifferent letter suffixes may represent different instances of similarcomponents. The drawings illustrate generally, by way of example, butnot by way of limitation, various embodiments discussed in the presentdocument.

FIGS. 1A-1B are illustrations of a system including an adaptive supportgarment and associated electronics, according to some exampleembodiments.

FIG. 1C is a block diagram illustrating components included in anadaptive support system, according to some example embodiments.

FIGS. 1D-1E are flowcharts illustrating techniques for dynamicadjustment of an adaptive support garments, according to some exampleembodiments.

FIG. 1F is a flowchart illustrating a support level calibration andmonitoring technique, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 2A is an illustration of adjustability zones for an adaptive bra,according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating an adaptive bra, according to someexample embodiments.

FIG. 2C is an illustration of an adaptive bra, according to some exampleembodiments.

FIGS. 3A - 3B are illustrations of an adaptive bra with a continuoussupport structure, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 3C is a line drawing illustration of a knit lace tunnel, accordingto some example embodiments.

FIGS. 4A - 4D are illustrations of an adaptive bra with crisscrossposterior support lacing, according to some example embodiments.

FIGS. 5A - 5C are illustrations of an adaptive bra with crisscross goresupport lacing and adaptive posterior straps, according to some exampleembodiments.

FIGS. 6A - 6C are illustrations of an adaptive bra with adaptive breastcontacting surfaces and posterior support lacing, according to someexample embodiments.

FIGS. 7A - 7D are illustrations of various adaptive bra configurationswith automated adjustment mechanisms, according to some exampleembodiments.

FIGS. 8A - 8B are illustrations of adaptive bra configurations withmultiple automated adjustment mechanisms, according to some exampleembodiments.

FIGS. 9A - 9E are diagrams and drawings illustrating a motorized lacingengine, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 9F is a drawing illustrating a mechanism for securing a lace withina spool of a lacing engine, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating components of a motorized lacingsystem, according to some example embodiments.

FIGS. 11A - 11E illustrate various adaptive tights configurationsincluding manual or automatic adaptive adjustment, in accordance withsome examples.

FIG. 12A is a line drawing depicting an adaptive sleeve, according tosome example embodiments.

FIGS. 12B-12F are line drawings illustrating an adaptive sleeveincluding an adaptive engine to engage automatic adjustments, accordingto some example embodiments.

FIG. 12G is a line drawing illustrating multiple adaptive compressionsleeves and a footwear assembly operating as a coordinated recoverysystem, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 13A is a flowchart illustrating a technique for operating anadaptive compression sleeve, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 13B is a flowchart illustrating a recovery technique using anadaptive compression recovery system, according to some exampleembodiments.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating an example computing devicecapable of performing aspects of the various techniques discussedherein.

The headings provided herein are merely for convenience and do notnecessarily affect the scope or meaning of the terms used.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As noted above, various examples of adaptive support apparel have beendeveloped with a range of manual and automated mechanisms to enable theadaptivity. Examples discussed in detail include adaptive bras, adaptivetights, and compression sleeves, among others.

Adaptive Support Apparel Systems

An adaptive support apparel system dynamically alters the fit andsupport of an adaptive support garment (e.g., bra or tights) in responseto activity data obtained from an activity sensor worn by the user. Theadaptive support system can include components integrated into variouswearables, such as footwear, watches or support apparel. In certainexamples, the adaptive support system can be controlled through asmartphone, smart watch, or similar wearable computing device thatcommunicates wirelessly with other components of the system. In otherexamples, the adaptive support system is controlled with circuitry builtinto the components integrated into the adaptive support apparel and/orfootwear. The following figures illustrate an example system anddiscusses at least some variations envisioned by the inventors.

FIGS. 1A-1B are illustrations of a system including an adaptive supportgarment and associated electronics, according to some exampleembodiments. In this example, the adaptive support apparel system 1includes components such as, an adaptive support garment 10, a footwearassembly 20, and a smart watch 30. Optionally, the adaptive supportapparel system 1 can also communicate with a smartphone 35 for controlor adjustment of parameters. In this example, the footwear assembly 20includes an activity sensor 25, and the adaptive support garment 10includes an adaptive engine 15. In this example, the adaptive engine 15couples to a lacing system 16 (also referred to as an adaptive supportstructure 16) that controls an adaptive support structure within theadaptive support garment 10. Optionally, the system 1 can also integratea second adaptive support garment 40, illustrated here as adaptivetights.

In this example, the footwear assembly 20 includes an activity sensor 25that can include sensors such as an accelerometer, a gyroscope, amagnetometer, a heart rate sensor, or a global positioning sensor (GPS)to detect a change in activity level. In one example, the footwearassembly 20 includes an inertial measurement unit (IMU), which combinesat least accelerometers and gyroscopes to provide a specific force,orientation, or angular rate of change for a monitored body. Data fromthe IMU can be used to detect movements, such as foot strike or cadenceamong other things. In this example, the data from the activity sensor25 is communicated to the smart watch 30 or smartphone 35 for processingto determine whether a change in adaptive support is needed based on theactivity data from the activity sensor. In another example, the activitydata base be sent directly to the adaptive engine 15 for processing anddetermination of adaptive support level needed.

Foot strike data is just a portion of a broader array of step metricsthat can be determined from sensors, such as activity sensor 25 (e.g.,IMU and Force sensor combination). Step metrics can include individualsteps or step count. A step can be defined for this metric based onparameters such as, minimum vertical force threshold, minimum averagevertical force per step, minimum step time and maximum step time. Stepmetrics can also include contact time, which is calculated per foot perstep using a force single (e.g., time when vertical force > 50N).Another step metric is swing time, which is calculated per foot per stepusing force single (e.g., time when vertical force < 50N until that footcreates a force > 50N). Step metrics also include cadence, which can bedefined as the inverse of the sum of the contact and swing time for eachfoot using force signal. Step length is another step metric calculatedusing a force signal (e.g., sum of contact and swing time multiplied byaverage speed). Another step metric is impact, which can be calculatedin at least two ways. Impact can be a peak rate of rise of the verticalground reaction force, or an active peak of the vertical ground reactionforce. Impulse is another step metric that is calculated per foot perstep using a force signal (e.g., integral of the ground reaction forcemagnitude). Contact is another step metric derived from motion data. Forexample, using IMU data sampled at 200 Hz to determine foot anglerelative to horizontal at the time of foot contact. Contact can includerearfoot, midfoot, and forefoot angles. Any of the step metricsdiscussed here can be used as activity data or in addition to otheractivity data to assist in determining an activity level or directly todetermine a target support level for an adaptive support garment.

In this example, one or both of the smart watch 30 and smartphone 35,separately or in conjunction with one another or by accessing remotecomputing resources, includes a control circuit that processes theactivity data and sends commands to the adaptive engine 15 to changesupport characteristics as needed. The adaptive engine 15 receivescommands and activates a motorized system to adjust an adaptive supportstructure through interactions with an integrated lacing system coupledto the adaptive engine 15. Details of an example adaptive engine areprovided below in reference to FIGS. 9A-9D.

FIG. 1B illustrates a user of an adaptive support apparel systemtransitioning between different activities that might require, orbenefit from, various levels of support. In this example, the activitysensor 25, illustrated within the footwear assembly 20, operates todetect different activity levels ranging from a relaxed walk to moderateexertion doing yoga to more extreme impact and exertion involved inrunning. In this example, the activity sensor 25 transmits data to acontrol circuit in the smart watch 30, which is running an applicationthat determines a current activity level based on the activity datainterpreted from the sensor(s). In some examples, the smart watch 30 canalso include activity sensors that also send activity data to thecontrol circuit operating on the smart watch 30 to provide additionalactivity level information to inform a decision to increase or decreasethe support provided by the adaptive support garment 10, such as anadaptive bra as in this example. For example, the smart watch 30 caninclude an integrated heart rate monitor that can be used as additionalinformation related to activity level.

In the comfort zone, the adaptive apparel support system 1 detects lowlevels of physical activity that have been determined to correspond to arelaxed level of support required from an adaptive support garment.Accordingly, the control circuit commands the adaptive engine 15 toactivate and adjust the adaptive support garment 10 to a comfortsetting. The control application (e.g., application operating thecontrol circuit) can include a user interface that provides a useraccess to different settings for the adaptive support garment. In anexample, the settings can include associating different support levelswith different pre-defined activity levels, such as resting = comfortsupport level (e.g., low level of support) and higher impact =performance support level (e.g., a high level of support). Othermappings can be created, and a user interface can be presented to allowa user to generate custom mappings, Table 1 illustrates an examplemapping table for Activity Level-Support Level mapping.

TABLE 1 Activity Level Support Level Resting (no exertion, no impact)Comfort-Minimum Support Walking (moderate exertion, low impact)Recreation-Moderate Support Yoga (moderate exertion & impact)Sport-Enhanced Support Running (high exertion & impact)Performance-Superior Support

As illustrated, a user can transition from Comfort to Lower Impact byincreasing exertion and/or impact detected by the activity sensors.Dynamically, upon detecting a transition the control circuit in thesmart watch 30 commands the adaptive engine 15 to increase the supportlevel provided by the adaptive support garment 10. If the user revertsto a Comfort level of activity (e.g., resting or walking), then thecontrol circuit can command the adaptive engine 15 to relax the supportlevel back to a comfort level of support. Alternatively, if the userincreases activity by going for a run, the system can dynamicallyrespond with the adaptive engine 15 increasing the support level to ahigher impact (performance) level of support.

In certain examples, a user can select from multiple different activityrelated parameters (e.g., heart rate, cadence, impact, etc...) andassociate different levels of each parameter with different supportlevels. For example, a user can create a running activity classificationthat uses heart rate and cadence as triggers. The running activity canthen be mapped to a high support level. The support level can also beconfigured by associating different support structure adjustments to aparticular support level, such as a lace tension for a lacingsystem-based support structure. A calibration and monitoring techniqueis also discussed below in reference to FIG. 1D, which is anothermechanism to personalize the adaptive support garment.

FIG. 1C is a block diagram illustrating components of the adaptivesupport system, according to some example embodiments. Note, throughoutthe application the adaptive support system is also referred to as theadaptive support apparel system. In this example, the adaptive supportsystem 1 includes components such as a control circuit 50, activitysensors 25, and an adaptive engine 15, with the adaptive engine 15integrated within an adaptive support garment 10. The adaptive supportgarment 10 can include an adaptive support structure 16. The adaptivesupport structure 16 includes one or more lace cables (or similarstructure) routed around one or more lace guides to adjust at least afirst portion of the adaptive support garment 10 in relationship to atleast a second portion of the adaptive support garment 10. The lacecables and lace guides are also discussed herein as a lacing system.

The control circuit includes a processor 52, a computer-readable memorydevice 54, and a communication circuit 56. As discussed above, in someexamples the control circuit 50 can be integrated within a smart watch30 or smartphone 35 (FIG. 1A). In those examples, the control circuit 50is embodied within a software application running on an operating system(e.g., iOS or Android) for the smart watch 30 or smartphone 35 hardware.Accordingly, the processor 52 and memory device 54 would be part of thesmartphone 35 or smart watch 30. In the illustrated example, the controlcircuit 50 is a standalone device or integrated into a footwear assemblyor the adaptive engine 15.

The processor 52 accesses instructions stored in the memory device 54 toprocess activity data received over the communication circuit 56. Theactivity data can also be stored on the memory device 54 at least duringprocessing operations. The processor 52 also processes instructions thatenable the processor 52 to generate and transmit, over the communicationcircuit 56, commands to the adaptive engine 15. The commandscommunicated to the adaptive engine 15 control activation of theadaptive engine 15 to change support characteristics of an adaptivesupport garment.

The control circuit 50 receives activity data from activity sensor(s)25. In this example, activity sensors 25 can include any combination ofan IMU 25A, a Heart Rate (HR) Sensor 25B, a temperature sensor 25C, aGPS 25C, or a strain gauge 25D, among other sensors capable of producingdata indicative of a user’s activity level. The activity sensor 25 caninclude any combination of the listed sensors, and transmits theproduced activity data to the control circuit 50 over a wirelesscommunication link, such as Bluetooth® LE (Low Energy). The techniquediscussed below in reference to FIG. 1D provides additional details andcontext regarding the operations provided by the control circuit 50 andactivity sensors 25. Additionally, as alluded to above, the componentsof system 1 discussed above can be distributed in any combination acrossdevices including a smart watch, a smartphone, a footwear assembly, oran adaptive support garment (e.g., integrated into an adaptive engine).

FIG. 1D is a flowchart illustrating a technique 60 for dynamicadjustment of an adaptive support garment 10, according to some exampleembodiments. In this example, the technique 60 includes operations suchas: adjusting a support structure at 61, monitoring support at 65 andautomatically adjusting support at 66. Optionally, the technique 60 canalso include operations such as: receiving activity data at 62,calculating an activity level at 63, and selecting a pre-definedactivity classification at 64. The technique 60 covers operationsperformed by a combination of the control circuit 50, sensor(s) 25, andadaptive engine 15.

In this example, the technique 60 starts at 61 with an initialadjustment of a support structure 16 within an adaptive support garment10. The initial adjustment can include both manual and automatic typeadjustment, with automatic adjustment occurring in coordination with anadaptive engine 15. For example, the control circuit 50 can provide auser interface that allows a user to select an initial support level,such as relaxed. The control circuit 50 can then command the adaptiveengine 15 to adjust the support structure 16 within the adaptive supportgarment 10 to a relaxed setting.

At 62 the technique 60 can optionally continue with the control circuit50 receiving activity data from sensor(s) 25. The activity data caninclude physiological data, such as heart rate, as well as datadescriptive of physical movements of portions of the anatomy of a user.At 63 the technique 60 can optionally continue with the control circuit50 calculating an activity level based on the activity data received at62. The technique 60 can optionally use the calculated activity level toselect a pre-defined activity classification at 64. In another example,at 64 the technique 60 can optionally include providing a user interfaceto allow a user to select a pre-defined activity classification toactivate a desired support level.

At 65 the technique continues with the control circuit 50 monitoring forchanges in the support level. Changes in the support level can betriggered by indications in the activity data, by the calculatedactivity level, or by selection of a pre-defined activity classificationthat maps to a different support level than the current support level.If no change in support level of indicated, the technique 60 continuesby looping back to operation 62.

If adjustment of the support level is indicated, technique 60 continuesto operation 66 with the control circuit 50 commanding an adjustment inthe support structure 16 of the adaptive support garment 10. In thisexample, the control circuit 50 sends adjustment commands to theadaptive engine 15. The adjustment commands are generated based on theselected pre-defined activity classification, the calculated activitylevel, and/or the activity data. After adjustment of support, thetechnique 60 loops back to operation 62 to continue monitoring forsupport level changes.

FIG. 1E is a flowchart illustrating a technique for dynamic adjustmentof an adaptive support garment 10, according to some exampleembodiments. The technique 70 can include operations such as: monitoringactivity levels at 71, receiving activity data at 72, determining asupport level change at 75, sending control commands at 76, andadjusting support at 77. The technique also optionally includescalculating an activity level at 73 and selecting a pre-defined activityclassification at 74. The technique 70 is discussed below operating onthe system 1 discussed in reference to FIG. 1C, but the technique couldbe performed on any general-purpose computing device (e.g., asmartphone) in conjunction with the needed activity sensors and adaptiveengine coupled to an adaptive support garment 10.

In this example, the technique 70 starts at 71 with the activity sensors25 monitoring activity level. At 72 the technique 70 continues with thecontrol circuit 50 receiving activity data over the communicationcircuit 56 from the activity sensors 25. In certain examples, theactivity sensors 25 reside within a footwear assembly, such as footwearassembly 20, and communicate activity data to a control circuit 50within an adaptive engine 15 over a Bluetooth LE wireless connection. Inanother example, the activity sensors 25 reside within a smart watch 30and communicate through communication pathways within the operatingsystem to an application also running on the smart watch that performsthe functions of the control circuit 50.

At 73, the technique optionally continues with the control circuit 50calculating an activity level based on the activity data received fromthe activity sensors 25. The technique optionally continues at 74 withthe control circuit 50 selecting a pre-defined activity classificationbased on the calculated activity level. At 75, the technique continueswith the control circuit 50 determining whether the support level of theadaptive support garment needs to be changed based on current calculatedactivity level. In some examples, the change in support level isdetermined based, at least in part, on the selected pre-defined activityclassification. In other examples, the change in support level isdetermined at least in part on the calculated activity level. In yetother examples, the change in support level is determined based variouscombinations of the activity data received from the activity sensors 25,the calculated activity level, and/or the selected pre-defined activityclassification.

If the control circuit 50 determines that the support level needs to bechanged, then the technique 70 continues at 76 with the control circuit50 sending commands to the adaptive engine 15 to change the supportlevel of the adaptive support garment 10. The commands sent to theadaptive engine 15 can include commands to increase support or decreasesupport depending on whether the change requires additional support orless support. In certain examples, the adaptive support garment 10 caninclude multiple adaptive engines that control multiple supportstructures. In these examples, the control circuit 50 sends commands tocontrol activation of all of the adaptive engines to achieve the desiredsupport level. If the control circuit 50 determines that the supportlevel does not need to be change, the technique 60 loops back tomonitoring the activity level at 71.

At 77 the technique 70 completes a processing loop with the adaptiveengine 15 adjusting the adaptive support garment 10 by manipulating asupport structure 16 coupled to the adaptive engine 15 as appropriate toachieve the commanded support level. After adjustment of the supportlevel, the technique 60 returns to monitoring the activity level at 71.

FIG. 1F is a flowchart illustrating a support level calibration andmonitoring technique 80, according to some example embodiments. Thetechnique 80 outlines how an adaptive support garment 10 can beinitially calibrated for a particular user and how the garment canadjust support levels over time based on monitoring activity levels andrelated parameters monitored on the adaptive support garment 10. In thisexample, the technique 80 includes operations such as: initializing acontrol circuit at 81, receiving activity data at 82, calibrating asupport level at 83, monitoring support characteristics at 84, determinewhether a change in support level calibration is needed at 85, andanalyzing support characteristics data at 86. The technique 80 includesoperations to initially calibrate an adaptive support garment forinitial use by a user (operations 81-84) and operations to updatesupport level calibration during use (operations 84-86). The second setof operations can include use of machine-learning or artificialintelligence algorithms to learn user preferences and update supportlevel calibration on an adaptive support garment. The support levelcalibration adjusts pre-defined support levels to address uniquephysiology of individual users. For example, a user of an adaptive brawith C-size breast cups will utilize different adjustments of a supportstructure to attain certain support levels as compared to a user of anadaptive bra with DD-size breast cups. The calibration process can alsoadjust for use preferences, as some users may naturally appreciate moreaggressive support as compared to another user with similar physicalcharacteristics.

In this example, the technique 80 begins at 81 with a initializing acontrol circuit, such as control circuit 50, operating an adaptivesupport garment, such as support garment 10. Initializing the controlcircuit includes turning on the adaptive support garment and preparingthe control circuit to operate the adaptive support garment. At 82, thetechnique 80 continues with the control circuit 50 receiving activitydata, such as from sensor(s) 25. During initial calibration, a user isinstructed to perform certain specific exercise or repetitive motions toassist with the calibrations. Data from performance of these specificmovements are received by the control circuit at 82. At 83, thetechnique 80 continues with the control circuit 50 using the activitydata generated performing the known physical movements to calibrate aninitial support level for the user of the adaptive support garment. Theknown physical movements are select to invoke certain soft tissuessupported by the adaptive support garment to be affected. Data collectedcharacterizing this soft tissue movement is included in the activitydata used to perform the calibration. For example, an adaptive bra caninclude sensors disposed within breast contacting surfaces and/orshoulder straps that can characterize movement of breast tissue duringthe known movements.

Once the initial calibration is completed at 83, the technique 80 canshift into monitoring/learning mode starting at 84. Operations 84through 86 can stand alone as an ongoing monitoring/learning mode ofoperation of the adaptive support system 1. At 84, the technique 80continues with the control circuit 50 monitoring supportcharacteristics, which can include activity data as discussed above. At85, the technique 80 continues with the control circuit determiningwhether the support level calibration needs to be updated based on themonitored support characteristics. If the support level calibration doesnot need to change, the technique 80 loops back to 84 to continuemonitoring support characteristics. If the support level calibrationdoes need to be changed, the technique 80 optionally continues to 86 toanalyze the support characteristic data to facilitate updating thesupport level calibration. The technique 80 then continues by loopingback to 83, and updating the calibrated support level based on theanalysis.

Adaptive Bras

Depending on an activity experienced by a wearer of a bra (or othersupport garment), the desired fit of the bra may change. For example,during a sedate (relaxed) activity the wearer may prefer a bra that hasless compression and tension than during an active activity. However,the wearer may not have an opportunity to exchange a first bra having afirst fit for a second bra having a different fit at the time ofchanging an activity level. Further, the wearer may benefit from a brathat can adapt dynamically as the wearer transitions from activity toactivity. Also, during different active activities the wearer maybenefit from different types of additional support. Currently, a user ofa bra may select a bra for one activity level regardless of the otherstates of activity to be experienced during the wearing period. Thischoice results in the selected bra not being a preferred selection forsome activities.

Therefore, an adaptive bra that is adjustable while being worn to modifya fit characteristic based on user wants or needs provides benefits ofvarying levels of support increasing comfort levels across allactivities. For example, a first fit of the bra may support a sedateactivity that provides a comfortable fit that allows movement of breasttissue while provided gentle support. The bra may then be adjustedautomatically in response to increased activity or by the wearer (e.g.,manually) to a second fit that increases forces applied to the breasttissue in an effort to stabilize and secure the breast tissue duringhigher impact activities. For example, a wearer may have the bra in thefirst fit during travel to an athletic activity and the wearer mayadjust the bra to the second fit when beginning the athletic activity.Following the athletic activity, the wearer may again change the fit ofthe bra back to the first fit. Breast tissue and surrounding softtissues experience dramatic changes in movement between variousactivities, which can be measured as changes in magnitude ofacceleration. Such measurements can be one input to a dynamic adaptivebra, such as those discussed herein. Note, breast tissue is used as anexample above, but the adaptive support concepts are applicable to anybody tissues that can benefit from increased support during certainactivities.

An adaptive bra can include adjustability across the breast tissue atthe breast contacting surfaces, between the breast contacting surfacesat a bridge, at the shoulder straps, at the wings, and/or along theback, among other places. Adjustability can include straptightening-loosening, strap widening, gore (bridge) tightening, bandtightening, encapsulation, and breast shaping, among others.

FIG. 2A is an illustration of adjustability zones for an adaptive bra,according to some example embodiments. Bra 200A, in this example, caninclude multiple adaptive zones. The adaptive zones can includeunder-band 210, breast contacting surface size 212, strap width 214,gore 216, strap length 218, and compression (wings) 220. In someexamples, an additional adaptive zone can target breast shape (notspecifically illustrated in FIG. 2A). The under-band 210 adjustment caninclude tightening or loosening to change under breast support and/orbreast lift. In a traditional sports bra, up to 60% of the load of thewearer’s breasts are carried by the under-band 210 around the ribregion. The breast contacting surface size 212 adjustment can providethree-dimensional changes in the breast contacting surface size of theadaptive bra 200A, such as through dynamic padding systems or structuredair pillows. Dynamic padding systems include those discussed in U.S.Pat. Publication 2018/0140928, titled “Article of apparel with dynamicpadding system”, which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety. Adaptations in the breast contacting surface size 212 may alsoinvolve adjustments in shape. The strap width 214 adjustment candistribute loading on the bra straps over a wider area under certainconditions. In an example, the strap width 214 adjustment can beaccomplished using auxetic material. Auxetics are structures ormaterials that have a negative Poisson’s ratio. Auxetic material, whenstretched, becomes thicker perpendicular to the applied force. Thethickening occurs due to the internal structure resulting in theparticular deformation when the sample is uniaxially loaded. Auxeticscan be single molecules, crystals, or a particular structure ofmacroscopic matter. Auxetic materials and structures are expected tohave mechanical properties such as high energy absorption and fractureresistance.

The gore 216 adjustment can adjust positioning of the breast contactingsurfaces relative to each other providing for encapsulation orseparation of the breasts. Strap length 218 adjustment zones areillustrated in multiple example locations, and provide for the abilityto adjust lift and/or size-type fit adjustments. In a traditional sportsbra, up to 40% of the load of the wearer’s breasts are carried by thestraps over the shoulders and into the back. The compression 220adjustment allows for adjustment across the breast contacting materialseparate from the under-band 210. In some examples, compressionadjustment is performed using posterior adjustment mechanisms (oradaptive support structures). Breast compression can be utilized tostabilize breast tissue during high impact activities, such as running.As illustrated above, a wearer of an adaptive bra benefits from adaptivesupport during a range of activities with varying degrees of impact,such as walking to yoga to running. Each distinct activity presents adifferent support challenge. For example, during yoga a wearer benefitsfrom moderate support while allowing for extreme flexibility. Incomparison, running requires maximum support while flexibility may notbe critical.

FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating a suppression bra, according to someexample embodiments. In this example, suppression bra 200B is anadaptive support garment (adaptive bra) that is adjustable by the wearerto adjust a degree of movement suppression of the breast tissue. In thisexample the adjustable suppression bra 200B includes a first breastcontacting surface portion 232, a second breast contacting surfaceportion 234, and a bridge 236 extending between and joining the firstbreast contacting surface port and the second breast contacting surfaceportion. The first breast contacting surface portion 232, the secondbreast contacting surface portion 234, and the bridge 236 may be formedfrom a common material or a common collection of materials. For example,they may be formed from a relatively low stretch (e.g., relatively highmodulus of elasticity) material to other portions of the bra. Themodulus of elasticity is measured based on tensile stress relative totensile strain along an axis of pull. When discussed herein, the axis ofpull on a first material is parallel to an axis of pull in a secondmaterial when discussing a relative modulus of elasticity. For example,if a first portion has a lower modulus of elasticity than a secondportion of the bra 200B, the pull axis for both the first portion andthe second portion are parallel in the article as formed (e.g., both arevertical when the bra 200B is in an as-worn configuration by atraditional wearer).

In the suppression bra 200B, the bridge 236 has a superior portion 240and an inferior portion 242. The suppression bra also includes anadjuster 246 (illustrated in FIG. 2C) extending between the bridgesuperior portion 238 and the bridge inferior portion 230. The adjuster246 is adjustable between a first length and a shorter second length.The adjuster may be a trim piece (e.g., hardware having a buckle, rung,clasp, hook, or the like) that is joined with bra material, straps, orother elements (e.g., cord). Additionally, in some examples, theadjuster may be (or be coupled to) an adaptive engine that providesautomatic or wearer activated adjustment.

The suppression bra 200B may suppress movement of breast tissue throughan adjustment of the adjuster 246 (see FIG. 2C). For example, as theadjuster 246 decreases a distance between the superior portion 238 andthe inferior portion 230, a bunching texture is created from thecondensed materials. This shortening of the distance pulls the breastcontacting surfaces in closer proximity that limits a volume of spacethe breast tissue can fill. This reduction in volume generates acompressive force on the breast tissue that translates to a movementsuppression result when the wearer engages in physical activity.

Aspects herein describe material strata. A strata is a layer of materialthat may have different characteristics (e.g., physical, chemical,appearance) of other material strata. For example, a multi-layered knitmaterial may have all layers contemporaneously knit, but one of thelayers may have a different characteristic from the other layers (e.g.,material or yarn selection, coloration, stitch technique, knit structuretype, knit stitch sequence, etc.). Similarly, a laminate may be formedfrom two or more materials bonded together in a permanent manner, buteach of the original materials forms a different strata within thelaminate. Therefore, aspects hereof discuss a material strata, whichrefers to a layer, separable or not, from other layers. In an adjustablebra, a non-stretch material may be encased or layered between a firststretchable material body facing and a second stretchable materialexterior facing. The term “non-stretch” is relative to the term“stretch.” For example, the “non-stretch” material is less stretchy(e.g., has a higher modulus of elasticity) than the stretch material.The “non-stretch” material may elongate with sufficient force, but itwill require more force or elongate less than the stretch material, inan exemplary aspect.

FIG. 2C is an illustration of an adaptive suppression bra, according tosome example embodiments. The suppression bra 200C illustrated in FIG.2C includes an adaptive engine 250, compression lacing 255, and a useractivation cord (e.g. adjuster 246). The adjuster 246 can activate theadaptive engine 250, which can shorten the compression lacing 255 toactivate the movement suppression of the suppression bra 200C. In someexamples, the adaptive engine 250 can include an external release buttonthat the wearer can activate to release tension on the compressionlacing 255 and reduce the movement suppression.

FIGS. 3A - 3B are posterior illustrations of an adaptive bra 300 with acontinuous support structure, according to some example embodiments. Theadaptive bra 300 illustrates an example support structure (e.g., lacing305) to provide adaptive support to the wearer. The adaptive bra 300includes components such as lacing 305, manual pull 310, adjuster 315,guides 320, lace hub 325 and anchor tab 330. The adaptive bra 300utilizes a continuous lacing 305 support structure that runs around anunder-band, up between the breast contacting material, and over eachshoulder strap. The lacing 305 is guided through the desired locationson the adaptive bra 300 by guides 320. The guides 320 can be fabricchannels, tubing, or material tunnels that could extend along moresignificant portions of the lace path to improve support and comfort. Incertain examples, the guides 320 are formed from knit components, suchas knit component 350 discussed below in reference to FIG. 3C. Theadaptive bra 300 includes a manual adjuster 315 that allows a wearer toactivate adaptive support via the manual pull 310. As discussed furtherbelow, all of the support architectures illustrated in the variousadaptive support garments can have automated adaptive engines integratedto enable fully or semi-automatic adjustability.

The adaptive bra 300 includes a lace hub 325 located along theunder-band on the posterior side of the garment. The lace hub 325 routesthe continuous lacing 305 coming down from the shoulders laterallyaround the under-band. The lace hub 325 is illustrated as a simpletriangular slotted structure, but could also utilize small pulleys orfixed circular lace guides as example alternative structures. In someexamples, the lace hub 325 could be replaced with a lacing engine toprovide automatic or semi-automatic adjustments and lace routing. Anexample adaptive engine is discussed below in reference to FIGS. 9A-9E.

The lacing architecture illustrated on adaptive bra 300 can facilitatebreast tissue isolation, under-band compression, and lift throughshoulder strap compression forces.

FIG. 3C is a line drawing illustration depicting an example of a knittube 352, where the knit tube 352 is formed by a multi-layer knitstructure, such as a tubular knit structure. The tubular knit structuremay be formed by any suitable tubular knitting technique, e.g., viaweft-knitting techniques such as circular knitting or flat-knitting, orvia a warp-knitting technique, etc. As one example, a tubular knittingprocess on a flat-knitting maching may comprise a first knit layerformed on a first bed of the knitting machine that remains separablefrom (e.g., having a central area not locked to) a second knit layerformed on a second needle bed for a plurality of courses. For example,referring the close-up view of one knit tube 352, a first layer 354 ofthe tube 352, which may define the exterior surface 356 of the knittedcomponent 350, may be formed on a first needle bed of a knitting machine(e.g., with a single-jersey or similar knit structure). A second layer358 of the knit tube 352, which may define an inner surface of theknitted component 350, may be formed on a second needle bed of theknitting machine (e.g., with a single-jersey or similar knit structure).The edges 360, 362 of the knit tube 352 (which extend along the tube’slength) may be locations where a course at the end of the tubular knitstructure (in the knitting direction) utilizes both needle beds, thuslocking the first layer 354 and the second layer 358 together. In theresulting knitted component 350, a channel/tunnel may be formed betweenthe first layer 354 and the second layer 358 of the knit tube 352, andthat same channel may be used for receipt of the tensile strand (e.g.,lace cable) 370.

The adaptive apparel discussed herein can utilize knit tubes, such asknit tube 352 to route lacing cables forming adaptive support structuresthrough each garment. For example, any of the adaptive bras discussedabove can include shoulder straps and under-band portions, among otherportions, that include knit tubes to contain lace cables as part of anintegrated adaptive support structure. All of the adaptive bra andtights examples discussed above could be constructed with at least aportion of the lacing systems contained within knit tube or channelstructures similar to knit component 350 discussed here. Routing lacecables through knit components 350 provides aesthetic improvement byhiding the lacing system and also distributes forces from the lacingsystem to improve comfort and support for the wearer.

FIGS. 4A - 4D are illustrations of an adaptive bra 400 with crisscrossposterior support lacing, according to some example embodiments. Theadaptive bra 400 provides illustration of another adaptive supportstructure including a right adjuster 405A and a left adjuster 405B,which could be replaced with an adaptive adjustment engine. The adaptivebra 400 also includes a posterior lacing cover 410 shown in FIG. 4B.FIGS. 4C and 4D illustrate the posterior adaptive support structure withthe posterior lacing cover 410 pulled back. The posterior adaptivesupport structure includes lacing 415, lace pulleys 420, adjustmentengine 425, adjuster 430, and under-band 435. In this example, thelacing 415 creates a crisscross pattern across the posterior portion ofthe adaptive bra 400 running from the adjustment engine 425 locatedalong the under-band up to anchor points on the shoulder straps. Thelacing 415 transverses through a series of lace pulleys 420 on eitherside of the adaptive bra 400. The lace pulleys 420 are anchored inlocations to provide under-band and gore type adjustments. The posterioradaptive support structure also anchors on the shoulder straps toprovide simultaneous lift support through the shoulder straps.

The adjustment mechanisms illustrated on the adaptive bra 400 includethe right and left adjusters 405A, 405B, as well as the adaptive engine425 along the posterior under-band. The right/left adjusters 405A, 405Bprovide direct under-band adjustments, while the adaptive engine 425tensions the posterior support structure via lacing 415. In thisexample, the adaptive engine 425 is manually activated via adjuster 430.In other examples, the adaptive engine 425 can be replaced with anautomatic or semi-automatic adjustment engine to provide wearer orsensor activated automatic adjustments. In certain examples, anadjustment engine can be adapted to adjust both the lacing 415 and theunder-band, which can eliminate the need for manual right/left adjusters405A/405B. In some examples, multiple adaptive engines are used toprovide separate automated adjustments of lacing 415 and right/leftadjusters 405A/405B respectively.

FIGS. 5A - 5C are illustrations of an adaptive bra 500 with crisscrossgore support lacing and adaptive posterior straps, according to someexample embodiments. In this example, the adaptive bra 500 includes ananterior support structure in the form of crisscross lacing 530 toadjust breast contacting surfaces 505. The anterior support structurealso includes central anchor overlay 510 supporting lace anchors 515along medial portions of each breast contacting surface 505. The centralanchor overlays 510 are formed from a stiffer material than the rest ofthe breast contacting surfaces 505 to assist in distributing the forcesfrom the crisscross lacing 530. The lacing 530 is anchored on a lateralanchor 520A and a lateral anchor 520B, runs up to a right shoulderanchor 525A and a left shoulder anchor 525B. From the right/leftshoulder anchors 525A, 525B the lacing 530 drops into the crisscrosspattern created by lace anchors 515 distributed along a medial edge ofthe breast contacting surfaces 505. The anterior support structure isadjusted via adjuster 535, which in this example is a manual pulladjustment mechanism providing the ability to tension lacing 530 asillustrated in FIG. 5B.

As shown in FIG. 5B, the anterior support structure of adaptive bra 500can generate gore tension as well as lift through the shoulder straps.In this example, the breast contacting surfaces 505 are essentiallyinelastic material that provides additional encapsulation and support ofthe breast tissue as the anterior support structure is tensioned (asillustrated in FIG. 5B). In another example, the central anchor overlay510 is a stiff material designed to retain the desired shape anddistribute loads, while the breast contacting surfaces 505 are a softerelastic material that provides support and comfort.

The posterior side of adaptive bra 500 is illustrated in FIG. 5C, andincludes a support strap 540, strap adjustment 550 and under-bandanchors 545. The strap adjustment 550 provides a separate initialadjustment mechanism to allow adaptive bra 500 to fit a wider range ofsizes. As illustrated, the adaptive bra 500 also includes moretraditional hook and loop closures along the under-band below thesupport strap 540.

FIGS. 6A - 6C are illustrations of an adaptive bra 600 with adaptivebreast contacting surfaces and posterior support lacing, according tosome example embodiments. In this example, the adaptive bra 600 includesadaptive support structures focused on breast shape and lift throughanterior structures as well as gore and under-band tensioning throughposterior structures. The anterior support structures include breastcontacting surfaces 605, lacing 615, lace guides 620, with trim 610providing dimensional structure around peripheral portions of theadaptive bra 600.

The breast contacting surfaces 605 can include a substantially inelastic(or at least less elastic as compared to surrounding non-supportmaterial) material contoured to provide specific breast tissue shapingas tension is applied to lacing 615. In this example, the contourincludes two slots 606 formed in the superior portion of the breastcontacting surface 605 that allows the material to wrap around thebreast tissue and provide lift and some compression as tension isapplied. The breast contacting surfaces 605 include three separated laceguides 615 on superior ends of the separated portions. In this example,lace guides 615 are formed with hemmed material creating materialtunnels. In other examples, the lace guides can be plastic tubes withvarying degrees of rigidity depending upon the desired shaping designedinto the adaptive bra.

The posterior structures of the adaptive bra 600 are illustrated in FIG.6C with hidden lines demonstrating where lacing 615, anchors 625, andunder-band 635 are routed within the adaptive bra 600. As illustrated,the lacing 615 forming a crisscross structure extending down from theshoulder straps where the lacing 615 transverses from the anterior side.The crisscross pattern allows the adaptive engine 630 to provide tensionto the under-band, gore, and anterior structure in unison. The posteriorsupport structure can be activated via adjuster 640, which in thisexample is a pull tab. In other examples, the adjuster 640 can includetension and release buttons or separate pull tabs.

FIGS. 7A - 7D are illustrations of various adaptive bra 700configurations with automated adjustment mechanisms, according to someexample embodiments. The examples of adaptive bra 700 illustrated inthese figures are similar but for variations in numbers and placement oflace guide 710, which allow for creation of different supportadaptations. FIG. 7A illustrates an adaptive bra 700A including two (2)lace guides 710 positioned to apply tensioning to a right wing and leftwing, which provides enhanced compression across the breast tissue andgore regions. FIG. 7B illustrates adaptive bra 700B including five (5)lace guides 710 positioned to apply tension to shoulder straps and wingregions. FIG. 7C illustrates an adaptive bra 700C including seven (7)lace guides distributed in a pattern focused on gore and under-bandtensioning. FIG. 7D illustrates an adaptive bra 700D including nine (9)lace guides 710 positioned to generate additional tensioning through theshoulder straps as compared to the pattern in FIG. 7C.

All of the variations of the adaptive bra 700 include a continuous lacecable 705, lace guides 710, a lacing engine pocket 715, and a lacingengine 720 (also referenced herein as an adaptive engine). The lacingengine can include an open spool configuration to enable removal of thelacing engine 720 for cleaning the garment, charging internal batteries,or replacement. The continuous lace cable 705 is engaged by the spool ofthe lacing engine 720 to provide automatic or semi-automatic adjustmentto adaptive bra 700. In this example, the lace guides 710 are circularopen lace guides, but alternative lace guides could also be utilized.For example, closed tubular lace guides could be implemented to avoidany potential for disengagement of the continuous lace cable. In otherexamples, the lace guides 710 can include snap-on covers that retain thelace cable during use. Each lace guide 710 is mounted on reinforcedfabric overlays to assist in distributing lace forces and longevity ofthe support garment.

Adaptive bra 700A, illustrated in FIG. 7A, is an example of aminimalistic adaptive support garment including two lace guides 710, acontinuous lace cable 705 and a lacing engine pocket 715 to receive alacing engine. Adaptive bra 700B adds three additional lace guides 710.One of the added lace guide 710 is affixed to a shoulder strap anchoroverlay 730 that distributes forces to the shoulder straps upontensioning of lace cable 705. Adaptive bra 700B also includes left wingstrap 735A and right-wing strap 735B, which each include a lace guide710. The remaining two lace guides 710 added to adaptive bra 700B (ascompared to 700A) operate primarily to route lace cable 705 away fromexposed tissue. Adaptive bra 700C includes seven (7) lace guides 710 ina slightly different configuration that focuses adaptive adjustment onleft wing region 735A, right wing region 735B, left under-band region740A, and right under-band region 740B (notice, adaptive bra 700C doesnot include straps or overlays in the wing or under-band region). Incontrast, adaptive bra 700D includes straps or overlay reinforcements inwing regions, under-band regions, and to anchor the shoulder straps.More specifically, adaptive bra 700D includes nine (9) lace guides 710with lace guides affixed to a shoulder strap anchor overlay 730, aleft-wing strap 735A, a right-wing strap 735B, a left under-band strap740A, and a right under-band strap 740B. Accordingly, adaptive bra 700Dis configured to adjust support in the under-band, wing region, andshoulder straps resulting in adjustments to breast tissue compressionand support.

FIGS. 8A - 8B are illustrations of adaptive bra 800 configurations withmultiple automated adjustment mechanisms (e.g., adaptive engines),according to some example embodiments. In an example, adaptive bra 800Aillustrates a posterior support structure including three separateadjustment zones, each adjustment zone including a separate adaptiveengine pocket 835 to hold an adaptive engine for automatic orsemi-automatic adjustment. The adaptive bra 800A includes an under-bandzone with lace cable 805 coupled to under-band 830 and running throughan inferior (caudal) adaptive engine pocket 835C. This example alsoincludes a wing zone with lace cable 810 coupled to anchors 820, whichdistribute the tension generated on lace cable 810 across a wide areaalong the lateral sides of the adaptive bra 800A. Lace cable 810 isadjusted by a middle adaptive engine positioned within a centraladaptive engine pocket 835B. The anchors 820 can be pulleys, circularanchors, tubular lace guides, or fabric loops, among other things. Thegore zone lace cable 810 is implemented in this example as a single lacecable running from an inferior left-side anchor crisscrossing a portionof the posterior of adaptive bra 800A up to a superior right-sideanchor. In other examples, the gore zone lace cable 810 can beimplemented as three separate lace cables (see FIG. 8B), or some othercombination of lace cables. In FIG. 8B, the three separate lace cables810 are all routed through the central adaptive engine 840B forsimultaneous adjustment. Adaptive bra 800A also includes a shoulder zonewith dual lace cables 815 running from right shoulder to left shoulderthrough a superior (cranial) adaptive engine pocket 835A.

Adaptive bra 800B illustrated in FIG. 8B includes lacing (adaptive)engines 840A-840C within the adaptive engine pockets 835. Lacing engine840A functions to adjust the shoulder zone lace cable 815, which willprovide shoulder strap adjustment and additional lift on the breastcontacting surfaces on the anterior side of adaptive bra 800B. Lacingengine 840B functions to adjust the gore zone lace cables 810 providingcompression across the breast contacting surfaces. Lacing engine 840Cfunctions to adjust the under-band zone lace cable 805 and providestensioning support to the under-band of adaptive bra 800B.

As discussed in additional detail below, lacing engines 840A-840C can beoperated through manual input (e.g., semi-automatically) or in responseto sensor inputs indicating things such as activity level or tensionforces on lace cables.

Shape Control

Particularly in adaptive bras that attempt to provide different levelsof support for a variety of breast structures, the ability to adjustshape of the breast contacting surface is useful. Some of the examplesdiscussed above provide adaptive support structures that include someability to control or adjust the shape of the breast contactingsurfaces. An adaptive support structure developed for use in a dynamicpadding system can be utilized to provide a different level of shapecontrol. Details of the dynamic padding system can be found in U.S. Pat.Publication 2018/0140928, titled “Article of apparel with dynamicpadding system”, which was incorporated by reference above.

In an example, breast contacting surfaces of an adaptive bra can utilizea variation of the dynamic padding system discussed in the dynamicpadding system application. The control lacing for the dynamic paddingsystem can be routed to an adaptive engine to provide automatic orsemi-automatic control of the dynamic shaping structure within theadaptive bra.

Adaptive Support Structures - Lacing Systems

Various different adaptive support structures for adaptive bras havebeen discussed above in reference to FIGS. 2A - 8B. These adaptivesupport structures have generally included lacing systems runningthrough various lace guides, tubes or fabric anchors. In other examples,the lacing system can be embedded within textiles used to build theadaptive support garment. The textiles can include knit textiles, woventextiles, and non-woven textiles, braided textiles, among others. Forexample, textiles may be produced to include or assembled to createtubes or tunnels within which lace cables for the various lacing systemcan be routed.

In an example utilizing knit textiles, a weft-knitting process calledflat knitting (among other knitting processes) can be utilized to formknitted components for adaptive support garments. Various features maybe incorporated into the knitted component. For example, the knittedcomponent may define a tube formed of unitary knit construction, and astrand (lace cable) may extend through a length of the tube. As anotherexample, the knitted component may have a pair of at least partiallycoextensive knitted layers formed of unitary knit construction, and aplurality of floating yarns may extend between the knitted layers. Insome configurations, the knit type or yarn type may vary in differentregions of the knitted component to impart different properties.Additionally, the knitted component may incorporate a thermoplastic yarnthat is fused in different regions of the knitted component to impartdifferent properties. U.S. Pat. No. 8,745,896, titled “Article offootwear having an upper incorporating a knitted component” includesadditional details on how knitted textiles can be utilized to createfabric tubes or tunnels for routing lacing systems. U.S. Pat. No.8,745,896 is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Knitting processes can be used to inlaid yarns, stands, or cables thatcan be used within lacing systems discussed here. At least a portion ofa cable (yarn or strand) may be inlaid between certain loops of theknitted component on a knitting machine during the manufacturing of theknitted component. The cable may be inserted within a knit tube during aknitting process, such as by utilizing an inlay process. For example, aninlay process may include using an inlay feeder or other mechanicalinlay device on a knitting machine (e.g., a combination feeder) to placethe cable between two needle beds (e.g., front and back needle beds)during a knitting process. One example of an inlay process, along with acombination feeder for enabling such a process, is described in U.S.Pat. Application Publication No. 2013/0145652, published Jun. 13, 2013,and having an applicant of NIKE, Inc., which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety. Alternatively, the cable may be fed throughthe knit tubes of the knitted component by hand and/or another suitablemethod. It is contemplated that the cable may be attached to theremainder of a lacing system in a different way (e.g., other than beinglocated in a tube), such as by using an adhesive to secure the cabledirectly to components of a support structure or lacing system asdiscussed herein.

A knit tube is generally a hollow structure formed by two overlappingand at least partially coextensive layers of knitted material (exampleshown in FIG. 3C and discussed above). Although the sides or edges ofone layer of the knitted material forming the tube may be secured to theother layer (e.g., if a two-layer construction extends beyond the tube),a central area is generally unsecured such that another element (e.g.,the cable) may be located between the two layers of knitted material andpass through the tube.

More specifically, the tube may be formed by a multi-layer knitstructure, such as a tubular knit structure. The tubular knit structuremay be formed by a tubular knitting process where a first knit layerformed on a first bed of the knitting machine remains separable from(e.g., having a central area not locked to) a second knit layer formedon a second needle bed for a plurality of courses. For example, a firstlayer of the tube, which may define the exterior surface of the knittedcomponent, may be formed on a first needle bed of a knitting machine(e.g., with a single-jersey or similar knit structure). A second layerof the tube, which may define an inner surface of the knitted component,may be formed on a second needle bed of the knitting machine (e.g., witha single-jersey or similar knit structure). The edges of the tube (whichextend along the tube’s length) may correspond with locations where acourse at the end of the tubular knit structure (in the knittingdirection) utilizes both needle beds, thus locking the first layer andthe second layer together (though discrete layers may optionallycontinue, in a secured manner, past the edges in some embodiments). Inthe resulting knitted component, a channel/tunnel may be formed betweenthe first layer and the second layer of the tube, and that same channelmay be used for receipt of the cable.

The yarn, strand, or cable discussed above, can include an inlaid strandhaving the configurations of a filament (e.g., a monofilament),multifilament, strand, yarn, thread, rope, webbing, cable, or chain, forexample. In comparison with the yarns forming a knit element, such asadaptive support garment 10, the thickness of an inlaid strand may begreater. In some configurations, the inlaid strand may have asignificantly greater thickness than the yarns of the knit element.Although the cross-sectional shape of the inlaid strand may be round,triangular, square, rectangular, elliptical, or irregular shapes mayalso be utilized. Moreover, the materials forming the inlaid strand mayinclude any of the materials for the yarn within the knit element, suchas cotton, elastane, polyester, rayon, wool, and nylon. As noted above,the inlaid strand may exhibit greater stretch-resistance than thereminder of the knit element. As such, suitable materials for inlaidstrands may include a variety of engineering filaments that are utilizedfor high tensile strength applications, including glass, aramids (e.g.,para-aramid and meta-aramid), ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene,and liquid crystal polymer. As another example, a braided polyesterthread may also be utilized as inlaid strand .

The lacing systems discussed throughout this disclosure represent justsome of the example arrangements that could provide the desire supportwithin an adaptive support garment. Other lacing architectures could beadapted from related garments or footwear. For example, automated lacingfootwear platforms disclosed in U.S. Pat. Publication 2019/0116935,titled “Lacing Architecture for Automated Footwear Platform”, and U.S.Pat. Publication 2018/0110298, titled “Lacing Architecture for AutomatedFootwear Platform” both disclose lacing structures that could be adaptedfor use within an adaptive support garment. U.S. Pat. Publications2019/0116935 and 2018/0110298 are hereby incorporated by reference intheir entirety.

Sensors and Control Systems

In order to effectively and automatically manipulate an adaptive supportgarment in response to changes in physical activity, a control systemneeds to be able to collect data that indicates how portions of anatomyrelated to the adaptive support garment are moving and/or stresses beingexperienced on portions of the adaptive support garment. Sensors such asmotion tracking sensors and force measurement sensors (e.g., straingauges) are examples of sensors that can be utilized to provide theneeded data.

Force sensors can be embedded into relative portions of the adaptivesupport garments, be separate devices worn by a user, and/or beintegrated into adaptive adjustment engines to detect forces beingapplied to the support structures within the adaptive support garments.In response to changes in the forces, different adjustments can be madeto counter act these forces. For example, sensors can be utilized todetect impact forces experienced on shoulder straps of an adaptive bra.The impact force data can be interpreted to indicate the level ofcompression or breast tissue isolation the adaptive bra should beproviding to the wearer.

In addition to, or instead of, a force sensor embedded into the adaptivesupport garments, the garment can include stretch capacitive sensors tomonitor for increased activity levels. In an example, an adaptivesupport garment can include one or more stretchable capacitive sensorsin key locations, such as shoulder straps, under-band, and/or inassociation with anchor points for the various adaptive supportstructures and lacing systems discussed herein. The stretchablecapacitive sensors can detect athletic movements indicative of anactivity level of a wearer, and signals from these sensors can beprocessed by control circuits as discussed herein to determine a desiredsupport level for the adaptive support garment.

Additional details on related implementations of the stretchablecapacitive sensors can be found in U.S. Pat. Publication 2019/0059461,titled “Sense-Enabled Apparel” the contents of which are incorporatedherein in their entirety for any and all non-limiting purposes. Examplesof stretchable capacitive sensors that may be utilized in accordancewith various embodiments are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,958,789, andWO 2014/204323, the contents of which are incorporated herein in theirentirety for any and all non-limiting purposes. The control circuit 50discussed above can also utilize sensor inputs to trigger lightingintegrated into adaptive apparel. Lighting can be integrated for safetyduring nighttime activities.

In some example, motion tracking sensors are used to detect activitylevels for wearers of an adaptive support garment. Motion trackingsensors, such as inertial measurement units (IMUs) are capable oftracking up to six degrees-of-freedom (DOF) and can be applied tovarious portions of anatomy to provide feedback to a control systemmonitoring the adaptive support garment. One such sensor is from acompany named Polhemus (https://polhemus.com/micro-sensors/), butsimilar sensors are available from other manufacturers. 6-DOF motionsensors are able to capture degrees of displacement, both linear androtational, frequency of movement, and/or velocity of movement throughup to six degrees of movement. In an adaptive bra example, byassociating a sensor with the breast structure and specifically with anipple area of the breast structure, the sensor is able to accuratelycapture the displacement experienced by the breast structure duringmovement. Moreover, since the nipple area typically represents theanterior-most aspect of breast tissue, positioning the sensor in thislocation enable the sensor to capture maximum amount of displacementexperienced by the breast structures. A control system within anautomated adaptive bra can utilize this sensor data (e.g., displacementdata, frequency, and velocity data) to adaptively adjust the supportstructures to compensation for changes in the collected data as activitylevels change. The description above is intended to expland and/orenhance earlier discussions related to sensor(s) 25, which are alsoreferenced throughout as activity sensors.

Adaptive Adjustment Engine

The following discusses a motorized lacing engine example utilized insome of the adaptive bra examples discussed above as an adaptiveadjustment engine. While much of this disclosure focuses on a motorizedlacing engine, many of the mechanical aspects of the discussed designsare applicable to a human-powered lacing engine or other motorizedlacing engines with additional or fewer capabilities. Accordingly, theterm “automated” or “adaptive” as used in “adaptive apparel” or“automated apparel platform” is not intended to only cover a system thatoperates without user (e.g., manual) input. Rather, the term“automated/adaptive apparel platform” includes various electricallypowered and human-powered, automatically activated and human activatedmechanisms for adaptive support systems discussed herein.

In an example, the adaptive support systems can include or areconfigured to interface with one or more sensors that can monitor ordetermine a dynamic physical characteristic, such as breast (e.g., softtissue) acceleration or displacement. Based on information from one ormore sensors, the adaptive support system, such as one of the adaptivebras discussed above and including the motorized lacing engine (alsoreferred to herein as an adaptive engine) can be configured to performvarious functions. For example, a sensor can be configured to detectactivity level to which the adaptive support system can react byadjusting support structures. In an example, the adaptive apparelarticle includes a processor circuit that can receive or interpretsignals from a sensor. The processor circuit can optionally be embeddedin or with the lacing engine 900.

Examples of the lacing engine 900 are described in detail in referenceto FIGS. 9A - 9F. FIGS. 9A - 9F are diagrams and drawings illustrating amotorized lacing engine, according to some example embodiments. Note,reference numbering for FIGS. 9A - 9F may overlap or be duplicative ofreference numbers used in other parts of this disclosure. FIG. 9Aintroduces various external features of an example lacing engine 900,including a housing structure 905, case screw 908, lace channel 910(also referred to as lace guide relief 910), lace channel wall 912, lacechannel transition 914, spool recess 915, button openings 920, buttons921, button membrane seal 924, programming header 928, spool 930, andlace grove 932.

In an example, the lacing engine 900 is held together by one or morescrews, such as the case screw 908. The case screw 908 is positionednear the primary drive mechanisms to enhance structural integrity of thelacing engine 900. The case screw 908 also functions to assist theassembly process, such as holding the case together for ultra-sonicwelding of exterior seams.

In this example, the lacing engine 900 includes a lace channel 910 toreceive a lace or lace cable once assembled into an automated adaptivegarment platform. The lace channel 910 can include a lace channel wall912. The lace channel wall 912 can include chamfered edges to provide asmooth guiding surface for a lace cable to run in during operation. Partof the smooth guiding surface of the lace channel 910 can include achannel transition 914, which is a widened portion of the lace channel910 leading into the spool recess 915. The spool recess 915 transitionsfrom the channel transition 914 into generally circular sections thatconform closely to the profile of the spool 930. The spool recess 915assists in retaining the spooled lace cable, as well as in retainingposition of the spool 930. However, other aspects of the design provideprimary retention of the spool 930. In this example, the spool 930 isshaped similarly to half of a yo-yo with a lace grove 932 runningthrough a flat top surface and a spool shaft 933 (not shown in FIG. 9A)extending inferiorly from the opposite side. The spool 930 is describedin further detail below in reference of additional figures.

The lateral side of the lacing engine 900 includes button openings 920that enable buttons 921 for activation of the mechanism to extendthrough the housing structure 905. The buttons 921 provide an externalinterface for activation of switches 922, illustrated in additionalfigures discussed below. In some examples, the housing structure 905includes button membrane seal 924 to provide protection from dirt andwater. In this example, the button membrane seal 924 is up to a few mils(thousandth of an inch) thick clear plastic (or similar material)adhered from a superior surface of the housing structure 905 over acorner and down a lateral side. In another example, the button membraneseal 924 is a 2-mil thick vinyl adhesive backed membrane covering thebuttons 921 and button openings 920.

FIG. 9B is an illustration of various internal components of lacingengine 900, according to example embodiments. In this example, thelacing engine 900 further includes spool magnet 136, O-ring seal 938,worm drive 940, bushing 941, worm drive key 942, gear box 944, gearmotor 945, motor encoder 946, motor circuit board 947, worm gear 950,circuit board 960, motor header 961, battery connection 962, and wiredcharging header 963. The spool magnet 936 assists in tracking movementof the spool 930 though detection by a magnetometer (not shown in FIG.9B). The O-ring seal 938 functions to seal out dirt and moisture thatcould migrate into the lacing engine 900 around the spool shaft 933.

In this example, major drive components of the lacing engine 900 includeworm drive 940, worm gear 950, gear motor 945 and gear box 944. The wormgear 950 is designed to inhibit back driving of worm drive 940 and gearmotor 945, which means the major input forces coming in from the lacingcable via the spool 930 are resolved on the comparatively large wormgear and worm drive teeth. This arrangement protects the gear box 944from needing to include gears of sufficient strength to withstand boththe dynamic loading from active use of the adaptive garment ortightening loading from tightening the lacing system. The worm drive 940includes additional features to assist in protecting the more fragileportions of the drive system, such as the worm drive key 942. In thisexample, the worm drive key 942 is a radial slot in the motor end of theworm drive 940 that interfaces with a pin through the drive shaft comingout of the gear box 944. This arrangement prevents the worm drive 940from imparting any axial forces on the gear box 944 or gear motor 945 byallowing the worm drive 940 to move freely in an axial direction (awayfrom the gear box 944) transferring those axial loads onto bushing 941and the housing structure 905.

FIG. 9C is a cross-section illustration of the lacing engine 900,according to example embodiments. FIG. 9C assists in illustrating thestructure of the spool 930 as well as how the lace grove 932 and lacechannel 910 interface with lace cable 931. As shown in this example,lace 931 runs continuously through the lace channel 910 and into thelace grove 932 of the spool 930. The cross-section illustration alsodepicts lace recess 935 and spool mid-section, which are where the lace931 will build up as it is taken up by rotation of the spool 930. Thespool mid-section 937 is a circular reduced diameter section disposedinferiorly to the superior surface of the spool 930. The lace recess 935is formed by a superior portion of the spool 930 that extends radiallyto substantially fill the spool recess 915, the sides and floor of thespool recess 915, and the spool mid-section 937. In some examples, thesuperior portion of the spool 930 can extend beyond the spool recess915. In other examples, the spool 930 fits entirely within the spoolrecess 915, with the superior radial portion extending to the sidewallsof the spool recess 915, but allowing the spool 930 to freely rotationwith the spool recess 915. The lace 931 is captured by the lace groove932 as it runs across the lacing engine 900, so that when the spool 930is turned, the lace 931 is rotated onto a body of the spool 930 withinthe lace recess 935.

As illustrated by the cross-section of lacing engine 900, the spool 930includes a spool shaft 933 that couples with worm gear 950 after runningthrough an O-ring 938. In this example, the spool shaft 933 is coupledto the worm gear via keyed connection pin 934. In some examples, thekeyed connection pin 934 only extends from the spool shaft 933 in oneaxial direction, and is contacted by a key on the worm gear in such away as to allow for an almost complete revolution of the worm gear 950before the keyed connection pin 934 is contacted when the direction ofworm gear 950 is reversed. A clutch system could also be implemented tocouple the spool 930 to the worm gear 950. In such an example, theclutch mechanism could be deactivated to allow the spool 930 to run freeupon de-lacing (loosening). In the example of the keyed connection pin934 only extending is one axial direction from the spool shaft 933, thespool is allowed to move freely upon initial activation of a relaxing(de-lacing) process, while the worm gear 950 is driven backward.Allowing the spool 930 to move freely during the initial portion of ade-lacing process assists in preventing tangles in the lace 931 as itprovides time for the adaptive support garment to respond, which in turnwill tension the lace 931 in the loosening direction prior to beingdriven by the worm gear 950.

FIG. 9D is another cross-section illustration of the lacing engine 900,according to example embodiments. FIG. 2 illustrates a more medialcross-section of the lacing engine 900, as compared to FIG. 2 , whichillustrates additional components such as circuit board 160, wirelesscharging interconnect 165, and wireless charging coil 966. FIG. 2 isalso used to depict additional detail surround the spool 930 and lace931 interface.

FIG. 9E is an exploded view of lacing engine 900, according to exampleembodiments. The exploded view of the lacing engine 900 provides anillustration of how all the various components fit together. FIG. 9Eshows the lacing engine 900 upside down, with the bottom section 904 atthe top of the page and the top section 902 near the bottom. In thisexample, the wireless charging coil 966 is shown as being adhered to theoutside (bottom) of the bottom section 904. The exploded view alsoprovides a good illustration of how the worm drive 940 is assembled withthe bushing 941, drive shaft 943, gear box 944 and gear motor 945. Theillustration does not include a drive shaft pin that is received withinthe worm drive key 942 on a first end of the worm drive 940. Asdiscussed above, the worm drive 940 slides over the drive shaft 943 toengage a drive shaft pin in the worm drive key 942, which is essentiallya slot running transverse to the drive shaft 943 in a first end of theworm drive 940.

FIG. 9F is a drawing illustrating a mechanism for securing a lace withina spool of a lacing engine, according to some example embodiments. Inthis example, spool 930 of lacing engine 900 receives lace cable 931within lace grove 932. FIG. 9F includes a lace cable with ferrules and aspool with a lace groove that include recesses to receive the ferrules.In this example, the ferrules snap (e.g., interference fit) intorecesses to assist in retaining the lace cable within the spool. Otherexample spools, such as spool 930, do not include recesses and othercomponents of the automated adaptive garment are used to retain the lacecable in the lace groove of the spool. These examples further highlightthe need or at least usefulness of an adaptive adjustment engine thatcan be easily removed from the adaptive garment for cleaning of thegarment.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating components of a motorized lacingsystem for an adaptive support garment, according to some exampleembodiments. The system 1000 illustrates basic components of a motorizedlacing system such as including interface buttons, foot presencesensor(s), a printed circuit board assembly (PCA) with a processorcircuit, a battery, a charging coil, an encoder, a motor, atransmission, and a spool. In this example, the interface buttons andsensor(s) (such as those discussed above) communicate with the circuitboard (PCA), which also communicates with the battery and charging coil.The encoder and motor are also connected to the circuit board and eachother. The transmission couples the motor to the spool to form the drivemechanism. Within adaptive garment applications, the sensor inputs areutilized to receive sensor inputs from sensors monitoring anatomyparameters (e.g., movement, displacement, velocity, acceleration,etc...) or parameters of the adaptive garment, rather than foot presenceas done when the motorized lacing system is integrated into a footwearassembly.

In an example, the processor circuit controls one or more aspects of thedrive mechanism. For example, the processor circuit can be configured toreceive information from the buttons and/or from the sensors(illustrated as a foot presence sensor) and/or from the battery and/orfrom the drive mechanism and/or from the encoder, and can be furtherconfigured to issue commands to the drive mechanism, such as to tightenor loosen the adaptive support garment, or to obtain or record sensorinformation, among other functions.

Adaptive Tights

FIGS. 11A - 11E illustrate various adaptive tights configurationsincluding manual or automatic adaptive adjustment, in accordance withsome examples. In an example, adaptive tights 1100A are compression-typeathletic tights constructed from various fabrics with differentcharacteristics. The body fabric (white/unpatterned portions) are woven,non-woven, or knit textile with some elastic properties, which are atleast sufficient to comfortably form to the wearer’s contours. The superstretch fabric (dark grey/heavily patterned portions) are highly elasticand provide much of the built-in compression provided by the tights. Insome examples, adaptive tights 1100A also include mesh areas to enhancebreathability of the garment.

Adaptive tights 1100A also include an adaptive support structure in theform of lace 1110 and guide tubes 1120. In this example, the lace 1110is routed in a split helix pattern on the inside (medial) facing sectionalong the inferior portion (distal of the knee) and on the outside(lateral) facing section along the superior portion (proximal of theknee) to an adjustment mechanism 1130 along the posterior portion of thewaistline. The split helix lacing pattern has been found to provideadded spring when engaged during physical activity. Other lacingpatterns can be implemented to provide additional compression or othertypes of adaptive support. In certain examples, the adjustment mechanism1130 can be replaced with an adaptive engine, such as discussed above,for automated control of the support structure (e.g., lace 1110 routedthrough guide tubes 1120).

FIGS. 11B - 11D illustrate alternative examples of adaptive tights thatincorporate different fabric layouts as well as compression banding(e.g., horizontal bands of super stretch fabric (highly elasticfabric)). For example, adaptive tights 1100C, shown in FIG. 11C, includeweb-like compression bands integrated into the tights to enhancecompression in the thigh and calf regions. Adaptive tights 1100D, shownin FIG. 11D, also include compression bands, but in a different patternproviding lower levels of compression. In these examples, thecompression bands are aligned with guide tubes 1120 in at least somelocations, which distributes forces from tension applied to the lace1110 across a wider area of the garment.

FIG. 11E illustrates an example adaptive tights in use. During activity,such as running, the lace 1110 is disengaged when the wearer’s knee isbent, but fully engaged when the leg straightens, providing extrasupport to the muscle groups of the leg during a foot-strike of thecorresponding foot and then disengaging during the upswing of the leg toprovide freedom of motion. Accordingly, the support provided to thewearer fluctuates in correspondence with the running stride so that itactivates to provide increased support to the leg during moments in arun when needed while permitted freedom of motion when less support usneeded during the run cycle. In some examples, an adaptive engine can beengaged to increase the support fluctuations, further increasing supportduring high impact portions of the running stride. Changes in thesupport structure can also facilitate higher energy return to enhance awearer’s performance.

The benefit gained through the dynamic support described above isproviding additional support during foot strike to provide increasedsupport for leg masses, such as thighs or calves. The support is thendisengaged after foot strike, during upswing of the leg, to providefreedom of movement as the leg swings back.

Compression Sleeves

Sleeves can be used for support during a physical activity and to assistrecovery after physical activity. As discussed here, sleeves can includelegs sleeves, arm sleeves as well as tubular portions of other garments,such shirts, pants, tights, leggings, among others. FIG. 12A is a linedrawing depicting an adaptive compression sleeve, according to someexample embodiments. In this example, the adaptive compression sleeve1200A includes a lace 1205 running in a crisscross pattern between aseries of lace guides 1210 on either side of an adjustment zone (e.g.,space between the lace guides). The compression sleeve 1200A alsoincludes a zipper 1224 and zipper pull 1222 to assist in donning thecompression sleeve by allowing for easy wrapping around the targetanatomy, such as an upper or lower leg region. The zipper 1224 splitsthe compression sleeve 1200A into a first half 1220A and a second half1220B, which are largely constructed of an elastic or inelastic meshmaterial. In this example, the first half 1220A and second half 1220Bare also connected by an underlayer 1214, which is a layer of fabricspanning both halves and underneath the adjustment zone.

The example adaptive compression sleeve 1200A illustrated here ismanually adjusted with lace 1205. However, the adaptive compressionsleeve 1200A can have an adaptive adjustment engine integrated toprovide automatic or semi-automatic adjustments. An automatic adaptivecompression sleeve 1200B, as illustrated in FIGS. 12B-12E, can beprogrammed to detect, through acceleration or other information providedby an IMU as disclosed herein, an increase in physical activity of thewearer and respond by automatically increasing compression based on thelevel of activity detected.

Alternatively, the adaptive compression sleeve 1200B, discussed below,can be configured to assist with recovery by pulsing compression levelsor progressively changing compression level and/or compression locationthroughout the length of the sleeve. In an example, the compressionsleeve 1200B can pulsate compression and/or migrate compression locationup and/or down the longitudinal length of the sleeve to enhancecirculation and shorten recovery time. The adaptive compression sleeve1200B is controlled by an application operating on a smartphone, smartwatch, or discrete stand-along computing device that could be embeddedwithin the sleeve or adaptive engine.

FIGS. 12B-12E are line drawings illustrating an adaptivecompression/recovery sleeve 1200B including an adaptive engine 1230 toengage automatic adjustments, according to some example embodiments. Inthis example, the adaptive compression sleeve 1200B includes componentssuch as: lace cable 1205, lace cable 1206, airbag 1208, lace guides1210, lace return guides 1212, lace guide overlay 1215, longitudinalstiffeners 1216, mesh side panels 1220A/1220B (also referred to as firsthalf 1220A and second half 1220B, and collectively referenced as meshside panels 1220), and adaptive engine 1230. Adaptive sleeve 1200B alsoincludes a flared distal end 1226, which is adapted to receive a portionof anatomy, such as a wearer’s ankle. In certain examples, the adaptivesleeve 1200B includes a full-length zipper along the back-side (e.g.,back of leg) to ease entry and exit from the sleeve.

FIG. 12B illustrates a lower leg adaptive sleeve example in accordancewith some embodiments. The adaptive sleeve 1200B distributes compressionforces up and down the sleeve from the adaptive engine 1230 through atwo-zone crisscross lacing patterning including lace cable 1205 and lacecable 1206 each running through a series of lace guides 1210. The lower(distal) lacing pattern formed by lace cable 1206 includes a return looprunning along the outside of the lacing zone thought return guides 1212back up to the top (proximal end) of the adaptive sleeve 1200B. Thereturn loop assists in distributing pull forces more evenly throughoutthe sleeve. The lace cable 1205 and lace cable 1206 are both captured ina lace stop 1218 that allows for additional manual type adjustments. Forexample, the tension levels between lace cable 1205 and lace cable 1206can be adjusted using the lace stop 1218 (also referred to as laceanchor 1218). Changing the relative tensions between lace cable 1205 andlace cable 1206 allows for the upper lacing zone (e.g., the zonecontrolled by lace cable 1205) to have different compressioncharacteristics as compared to the lower lacing zone. The relative terms“upper”, “up”, or “top” are generally used to refer to a more proximalend of the adaptive sleeve 1200B, while “lower”, “down”, or “bottom” aregenerally used to refer to a more distal end of the adaptive sleeve1200B. FIG. 12B includes references to Proximal and Distal to assistwith orientation.

In this example, both lace cable 1205 and lace cable 1206 are fed intothe adaptive engine 1230, which is disposed in the middle of adaptivesleeve 1200B. In other examples, multiple adaptive engines can be usedto control individual lacing zones as needed to attain the desirecompression throughout the sleeve. In this example, the lace cable 1205loops through the adaptive engine 1230, engaging a lace spool within theadaptive engine as discussed above. From the adaptive engine 1230, thelace cable 1205 crisscrosses up the sleeve to the proximal end where itruns through the lace anchor 1218. The lace cable 1206 also loopsthrough the adaptive engine 1230 engaging the lace spool in parallelwith the lace cable 1205. From the adaptive engine 1230, the lace cable1206 crisscrosses down the adaptive sleeve 1200B to the distal end whereeach end of lace cable 1206 runs around a perimeter of the lacing (e.g.,adjustment zone) returning back to the proximal end via return guides1212. In this example, the adjustment zone is defined by the boundariesof longitudinal stiffeners 1216. In other examples, the adjustment zonecan be defined by other structures, such as the boundaries of lace guideoverlays 1215. In this example, the return guides 1212 are formed fromfabric loops or tunnels, as discussed above. In other examples, thereturn guides 1212 can be plastic lace guides or similar lace routingstructures known in the art.

In this example, the lace guide overlays 2015 are longitudinal strips ofreinforced fabric extending inward towards the throat from twolongitudinal stiffeners 2016, with the throat being the open spacebetween the series of lace guides running a majority of the longitudinallength of the adaptive sleeve 1200B. The longitudinal stiffeners 2016assist the sleeve 1200B in retaining shape and in distributing lacecable loading more evenly to the mesh side panels 1220. The throat (notspecifically labeled) is the area between the lace guide overlays 2015that contains (or exposes) at least a portion of the airbag 1208. Theairbag 1208 also functions to distribute lace cable forces and protectthe shin of the wearer in this example. In this example, the airbag 1208contains a fixed amount of air that is prefilled, or is pumped up by theuser as part of the donning process. A sleeve designed for use on theupper leg may not include an airbag 1208 as there is no hard anatomy toprotect from point pressure created by the lacing of the sleeve (e.g.,lace cable 1205 and lace cable 1206). In an alternative example, theairbag 1208 is replaced with a rigid or semi-rigid plastic shield thatoperates to distribute the lace forces.

FIG. 12C is a side view line drawing illustration of the adaptive sleevethat better illustrates a portion of the lace return guides 1212 andreturn path of lace cable 1206. The side view also depicts how the lacereturn guides 1212 are positioned adjacent to a lateral edge of thelongitudinal stiffener 1216. In this example, the longitudinal stiffener2016 is a plastic-coated fabric material, in other examples thelongitudinal stiffener 2016 is a rigid or semi-rigid structure embeddedbetween layers of fabric (see FIG. 12E discussed below).

FIG. 12D illustrate aspects of an example adaptive engine 1230integrated into an adaptive support sleeve 1200B. In these examples, theadaptive engine 1230 includes components such as a housing 1232, a lacespool lid 1234, lid latches 1235, lid hinges 1236, and lid lace guides1238. As mentioned above, the adaptive engine 1230 is similar to theadaptive engine discussed above in reference to FIGS. 9A-9E, thefollowing discusses a few adaptations made for this example adaptivecompression sleeve.

The housing 1232 is designed to hold an adaptive engine, such as the onediscussed above. The housing 1232 includes recesses (or cut-outs) toreceive the lid hinges 1236 on either lateral side of the housing 1232.The lace spool lid 1234 also includes lid latches 1235 that engagecomplementary features on the housing 1232. In this example, the lidlatches 1235 include beveled protrusions that snap into recesses invertical walls of the housing 1232. The lace spool lid 1234 guides thelace cable into the lace spool within the adaptive engine 1230 to allowfor automatic changes in the effective length of the lace cables (e.g.,lace cable 1205 and lace cable 1206). The lace spool lid 1234 alsoincludes lace guides 1238 on each lateral edge that guide the lace cableinto position to engage the lace spool.

FIG. 12E is a line drawing illustrating a cross-sectional view of anadaptive compression sleeve, according to some example embodiments. Inthis example, the adaptive sleeve 1200B includes an airbag 1208, laceguide overlays 1215, longitudinal stiffeners 1216, rigid or semi-rigidbatons 1217, mesh side panels 1220, adaptive engine 1230, notch 1232,and pressure sensor 1240. The cross-section of longitudinal stiffeners1216 illustrates an example of the longitudinal stiffeners 1216including rigid or semi-rigid batons 1217 sandwiched between layers ofthe adaptive sleeve 1200B. In some examples, the batons 1217 can beinterchangeable through pockets formed in the longitudinal stiffeners1216.

The cross-section view also illustrates an example cross-sectional shapeof airbag 1208, which in this example includes notch 1232 to accommodateadaptive engine 1230. The notch 1232 may only occur in the area of theadaptive engine 1230. The airbag 1208 also includes pressure sensor 1240that provides information on the air pressure within the airbag 1208,which can be used to determine compression being applied by the adaptivesleeve 1200B.

FIG. 12F is a line drawing illustrating a posterior view of adaptivesleeve 1200B, according to some example embodiments. In this example,the adaptive sleeve 1200B includes a longitudinal zipper, zipper 1224,running the length of the adaptive sleeve. The zipper 1224 includes azipper pull 1222 and splits the mech side panels 1220 into a first half1220A and a second half 1220B. The adaptive sleeve 1200B also includes aflared distal end 1226 that is adapted to received anatomy, such as awearer’s ankle.

FIG. 12G is a line drawing of a full-leg recovery system 1250 includingmultiple adaptive compression sleeves and a footwear assembly, accordingto some example embodiments. In this example, the recovery system 1250includes an upper-leg adaptive compression sleeve 1252, a lower-legadaptive compression sleeve 1254, and an adaptive footwear assembly1256. The system is controlled through an application operating on acomputing device, such as smart watch 30 or smartphone 35.

In this example, the adaptive compression sleeves and footwear assemblyare configured to provide various levels of compression to facilitaterecovery after an athletic activity. Compression and release of eachadaptive device within the system 1250 can be controlled through anapplication with preprogrammed sequences and/or user defined routines.For example, the system 1250 can instruct the footwear assembly 1256 tocompress, followed an adjustable number of seconds later by thelower-leg adaptive compression sleeve 1254, which is then followed bythe upper-leg adaptive compression sleeve 1252. The sequence can bereversed, repeated, and/or rearranged as needed to accomplish thedesired recovery regiment.

As discussed above, the adaptive engines controlling each adaptivecompression device in the recovery system 1250 can communicate with acontroller via wireless communications. The controller (e.g., smartwatch 30 or smartphone 35 in these examples) can control the sequence ofcompression and release to correspond to pre-defined protocols or usergenerated sequences.

FIG. 13A is a flowchart illustrating a technique for operating anadaptive compression garment, according to some example embodiments. Inthis example, the technique 1300 can include operations such as:activating the control circuit at 1305, receiving a sequence selectionat 1320, transmitting commands at 1325, and operating an adaptive engineat 1330. Optionally, the technique 1300 can also include operations suchas: displaying compression sequence options at 1310 and modifyingcompression sequence(s) at 1315. Additionally, in technique 1300operating the adaptive engine can optionally include engaging a lacingsystem at 1332 and manipulating a lace spool at 1334.

In this example, the technique 1300 begins at 1305 with activation of acontrol circuit, such as control circuit 50. The control circuit is adedicated collection of circuitry or an application operating oncomputing device, such as a wearable computing device. The controlcircuit operates the adaptive compression garment, such as adaptivecompression sleeve 1200B discussed above. At 1310, the technique 1300optionally continues with the control circuit generating a display ofavailable compression sequences for selection by a user. The technique1300 also optionally includes an operation to modify compressionsequences at 1315. The control circuit can also generate a userinterface that allows a user to modify or create a compression sequence.Compression sequences generally includes a series of compression andrelease commands with associated delays.

At 1320, the technique 1300 continues with the control circuit receivinga selection of a compression sequence. The selected compression sequencewill be performed on the adaptive compression garment. At 1325, thetechnique 1300 continues with the control circuit transmitting commandsto perform the selected compression sequence to an adaptive engine. Thetechnique 1300 continues at 1330 with the adaptive engine operating toperform the received commands to perform the selected compressionsequence. Operating the adaptive engine can include engaging a lacingsystem on the adaptive compression garment at 1332 and manipulating alace spool within the adaptive engine to change an effective length of alace cable within the lacing system. Change the effective length of oneor more lacing cables engages or disengage the compression.

FIG. 13B is a flowchart illustrating a recovery technique using anadaptive compression recovery system, according to some exampleembodiments. The technique 1350 details an example of operating arecovery system including multiple adaptive compression garments, suchdiscussed above in reference to FIG. 12G. In this example, the technique1300B can include operations such as: activating the control circuit at1355, receiving and/or processing a recovery sequence selection at 1370,transmitting coordinated commands at 1375, operating a first adaptivegarment at 1380, operating a second adaptive garment at 1385, andoptionally operating an adaptive footwear assembly at 1390. Optionally,the technique 1350 also includes operations such as: displaying recoverysequence options at 1360 and modifying or creating recovery sequences at1365.

The technique 1350 begins at 1355 with activation of a control circuit,such as activation of an application operation on smart watch 30 orsmartphone 35 that will control the adaptive compression garments in thesystem. At 1360, the technique 1350 optionally continues with thecontrol circuit displaying recovery sequence options for selection bythe user. The technique 1350 optionally continues at 1365 with thecontrol circuit generating an interface that allows a user to modify orcreate recovery sequences. At 1370, the technique 1350 continues withthe control circuit (e.g., application operating on smart watch 30 orsmartphone 35) receiving and/or processing the selected recoverysequence. Processing the selected recovery sequence includes generatinga series of coordinated commands to perform coordinated compression andrelease operations on the adaptive compression garments in the adaptiverecovery system. The coordination between adaptive compression garmentsincludes timing of operations, among other things.

At 1375, the technique 1350 continues with the control circuittransmitting the coordinated commands to each of the adaptivecompression garments in the adaptive recovery system. The technique 1350continues with coordinated operation of the first adaptive garment at1380, the second adaptive garment at 1385, and optionally adaptivefootwear at 1390. In an example, coordinated operation of the adaptivecompression garments can include sequences such as compression of anadaptive footwear assembly 1256, followed X seconds later by compressionof an adaptive compression sleeve 1254, followed X seconds later bycompression of adaptive compression sleeve 1252. The example sequencecan continue with release of adaptive compression sleeve 1252 followedby release of adaptive compression sleeve 1254 followed by release ofadaptive footwear assembly 1256. Release of compression can includeshort delays between each release similar to the delay betweencompression. Sequences can include pulsing compression and other morecomplex interactions.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating components of a machine 1300(e.g., computing device), according to some example embodiments, able toread instructions from a machine-readable medium (e.g., amachine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of themethodologies (techniques) discussed herein. Specifically, FIG. 14 showsa diagrammatic representation of the machine 1400 in the example form ofa computer system, within which instructions 1416 (e.g., software, aprogram, an application, an applet, an app, or other executable code)for causing the machine 1400 to perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed herein may be executed. For example, theinstructions may cause the machine to execute the flow diagrams of FIGS.1D, 12G, and 13 . Additionally, or alternatively, the instructionsimplement aspects of the system 1 including the control circuit 50 aswell as aspects of the adaptive engine 15. The instructions alsoimplement functionality attributed to, or discussed as operating on,smart watch 30 or smartphone 35. The instructions transform the general,non-programmed machine into a particular machine programmed to carry outthe described and illustrated functions in the manner described. Inalternative embodiments, the machine 1400 operates as a standalonedevice or may be coupled (e.g., networked) to other machines. In anetworked deployment, the machine 1400 may operate in the capacity of aserver machine or a client machine in a server-client networkenvironment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed)network environment. The machine 1400 may comprise, but not be limitedto, a server computer, a client computer, a personal computer (PC), atablet computer, a laptop computer, a netbook, a set-top box (STB), apersonal digital assistant (PDA), an entertainment media system, acellular telephone, a smartphone, a mobile device, a wearable device(e.g., a smart watch), a smart home device (e.g., a smart appliance),other smart devices, a web appliance, a network router, a networkswitch, a network bridge, or any machine capable of executing theinstructions 1416, sequentially or otherwise, that specify actions to betaken by machine 1400. Further, while only a single machine 1400 isillustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken to include acollection of machines 1400 that individually or jointly execute theinstructions 1416 to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein.

The machine 1400 may include processors 1410, memory 1430, and I/Ocomponents 1450, which may be configured to communicate with each othersuch as via a bus 1402. In an example embodiment, the processors 1410(e.g., a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Reduced Instruction SetComputing (RISC) processor, a Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC)processor, a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), a Digital Signal Processor(DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), aRadio-Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC), another processor, or anysuitable combination thereof) may include, for example, processor 1412and processor 1414 that may execute instructions 1416. The term“processor” is intended to include multi-core processor that maycomprise two or more independent processors (sometimes referred to as“cores”) that may execute instructions contemporaneously. Although FIG.14 shows multiple processors, the machine 1400 may include a singleprocessor with a single core, a single processor with multiple cores(e.g., a multi-core process), multiple processors with a single core,multiple processors with multiples cores, or any combination thereof.

The memory/storage 1430 may include a memory 1432, such as a mainmemory, or other memory storage, and a storage unit 1436, bothaccessible to the processors 1410 such as via the bus 1402. The storageunit 1436 and memory 1432 store the instructions 1416 embodying any oneor more of the methodologies or functions described herein. Theinstructions 1416 may also reside, completely or partially, within thememory 1432, within the storage unit 1436, within at least one of theprocessors 1410 (e.g., within the processor’s cache memory), or anysuitable combination thereof, during execution thereof by the machine1400. Accordingly, the memory 1432, the storage unit 1436, and thememory of processors 1410 are examples of machine-readable media.

As used herein, “machine-readable medium” means a device able to storeinstructions and data temporarily or permanently and includes, but isnot limited to, random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM),buffer memory, flash memory, optical media, magnetic media, cachememory, other types of storage (e.g., Erasable Programmable Read-OnlyMemory (EEPROM)) and/or any suitable combination thereof. The term“machine-readable medium” should be taken to include a single medium ormultiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, orassociated caches and servers) able to store instructions 1416. The term“machine-readable medium” shall also be taken to include any medium, orcombination of multiple media, that is capable of storing instructions(e.g., instructions 1416) for execution by a machine (e.g., machine1400), such that the instructions, when executed by one or moreprocessors of the machine 1400 (e.g., processors 1410), cause themachine 1400 to perform any one or more of the methodologies describedherein. Accordingly, a “machine-readable medium” refers to a singlestorage apparatus or device, as well as “cloud-based” storage systems orstorage networks that include multiple storage apparatus or devices. Theterm “machine-readable medium” excludes signals per se.

The I/O components 1450 may include a wide variety of components toreceive input, provide output, produce output, transmit information,exchange information, capture measurements, and so on. The specific I/Ocomponents 1450 that are included in a particular machine will depend onthe type of machine. For example, portable machines such as mobilephones will likely include a touch input device or other such inputmechanisms, while a headless server machine will likely not include sucha touch input device. It will be appreciated that the I/O components1450 may include many other components that are not shown in FIG. 14 .The I/O components 1450 are grouped according to functionality merelyfor simplifying the following discussion and the grouping is in no waylimiting. In various example embodiments, the I/O components 1450 mayinclude output components 1452 and input components 1454. The outputcomponents 1452 may include visual components (e.g., a display such as aplasma display panel (PDP), a light emitting diode (LED) display, aliquid crystal display (LCD), a projector, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)),acoustic components (e.g., speakers), haptic components (e.g., avibratory motor, resistance mechanisms), other signal generators, and soforth. The input components 1454 may include alphanumeric inputcomponents (e.g., a keyboard, a touch screen configured to receivealphanumeric input, a photo-optical keyboard, or other alphanumericinput components), point based input components (e.g., a mouse, atouchpad, a trackball, a joystick, a motion sensor, or other pointinginstrument), tactile input components (e.g., a physical button, a touchscreen that provides location and/or force of touches or touch gestures,or other tactile input components), audio input components (e.g., amicrophone), and the like.

In further example embodiments, the I/O components 1450 may includebiometric components 1456, motion components 1458, environmentalcomponents 1460, or position components 1462 among a wide array of othercomponents. In certain examples, the I/O components include sensors 25discussed above. In an example, the biometric components 1456 mayinclude components to detect expressions (e.g., hand expressions, facialexpressions, vocal expressions, body gestures, or eye tracking), measurebio signals (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature,perspiration, or brain waves), identify a person (e.g., voiceidentification, retinal identification, facial identification,fingerprint identification, or electroencephalogram basedidentification), and the like. The motion components 1458 may includeacceleration sensor components (e.g., accelerometer), gravitation sensorcomponents, rotation sensor components (e.g., gyroscope), and so forth.The environmental components 1460 may include, for example, illuminationsensor components (e.g., photometer), temperature sensor components(e.g., one or more thermometer that detect ambient temperature),humidity sensor components, pressure sensor components (e.g.,barometer), acoustic sensor components (e.g., one or more microphonesthat detect background noise), proximity sensor components (e.g.,infrared sensors that detect nearby objects), gas sensors (e.g., gasdetection sensors to detection concentrations of hazardous gases forsafety or to measure pollutants in the atmosphere), or other componentsthat may provide indications, measurements, or signals corresponding toa surrounding physical environment. The position components 1462 mayinclude location sensor components (e.g., a Global Position System (GPS)receiver component), altitude sensor components (e.g., altimeters orbarometers that detect air pressure from which altitude may be derived),orientation sensor components (e.g., magnetometers), and the like. Allof the different I/O components 1450 discussed herein can be integratedinto system 1 discussed above and the data output from these various I/Ocomponents can be used within the adaptive support system techniquesdiscussed in FIGS. 1D, 12G, and 13 .

Communication may be implemented using a wide variety of technologies.The I/O components 1450 may include communication components 1464operable to couple the machine 1400 to a network 1480 or devices 1470via coupling 1482 and coupling 1472 respectively. For example, thecommunication components 1464 may include a network interface componentor other suitable device to interface with the network 1480. In furtherexamples, communication components 1464 may include wired communicationcomponents, wireless communication components, cellular communicationcomponents, Near Field Communication (NFC) components, Bluetooth®components (e.g., Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® components, and othercommunication components to provide communication via other modalities.The devices 1470 may be another machine or any of a wide variety ofperipheral devices (e.g., a peripheral device coupled via a UniversalSerial Bus (USB)).

Moreover, the communication components 1464 may detect identifiers orinclude components operable to detect identifiers. For example, thecommunication components 1464 may include Radio Frequency Identification(RFID) tag reader components, NFC smart tag detection components,optical reader components (e.g., an optical sensor to detectone-dimensional bar codes such as Universal Product Code (UPC) bar code,multi-dimensional bar codes such as Quick Response (QR) code, Azteccode, Data Matrix, Dataglyph, MaxiCode, PDF417, Ultra Code, UCC RSS-2Dbar code, and other optical codes), or acoustic detection components(e.g., microphones to identify tagged audio signals). In addition, avariety of information may be derived via the communication components1464, such as, location via Internet Protocol (IP) geo-location,location via Wi-Fi® signal triangulation, location via detecting an NFCbeacon signal that may indicate a particular location, and so forth.

Transmission Medium

In various example embodiments, one or more portions of the network 1480may be an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual privatenetwork (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a widearea network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network(MAN), the Internet, a portion of the Internet, a portion of the PublicSwitched Telephone Network (PSTN), a plain old telephone service (POTS)network, a cellular telephone network, a wireless network, a Wi-Fi®network, another type of network, or a combination of two or more suchnetworks. For example, the network 1480 or a portion of the network 1480may include a wireless or cellular network and the coupling 1482 may bea Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) connection, a Global System forMobile communications (GSM) connection, or other type of cellular orwireless coupling. In this example, the coupling 1482 may implement anyof a variety of types of data transfer technology, such as SingleCarrier Radio Transmission Technology (1xRTT), Evolution-Data Optimized(EVDO) technology, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) technology,Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) technology, thirdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) including 3G, fourth generationwireless (4G) networks, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System(UMTS), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Worldwide Interoperability forMicrowave Access (WiMAX), Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard, othersdefined by various standard setting organizations, other long rangeprotocols, or other data transfer technology.

The instructions 1416 may be transmitted or received over the network1480 using a transmission medium via a network interface device (e.g., anetwork interface component included in the communication components1464) and utilizing any one of a number of well-known transfer protocols(e.g., hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP)). Similarly, the instructions1416 may be transmitted or received using a transmission medium via thecoupling 1472 (e.g., a peer-to-peer coupling) to devices 1470. The term“transmission medium” shall be taken to include any intangible mediumthat is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions 1416 forexecution by the machine 1400, and includes digital or analogcommunications signals or other intangible medium to facilitatecommunication of such software.

00157 Additional Notes

Throughout this specification, plural instances may implementcomponents, operations, or structures described as a single instance.Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustratedand described as separate operations, one or more of the individualoperations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that theoperations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures andfunctionality presented as separate components in example configurationsmay be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly,structures and functionality presented as a single component may beimplemented as separate components. These and other variations,modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of thesubject matter herein.

Although an overview of the inventive subject matter has been describedwith reference to specific example embodiments, various modificationsand changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from thebroader scope of embodiments of the present disclosure. Such embodimentsof the inventive subject matter may be referred to herein, individuallyor collectively, by the term “invention” merely for convenience andwithout intending to voluntarily limit the scope of this application toany single disclosure or inventive concept if more than one is, in fact,disclosed.

The embodiments illustrated herein are described in sufficient detail toenable those skilled in the art to practice the teachings disclosed.Other embodiments may be used and derived therefrom, such thatstructural and logical substitutions and changes may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of this disclosure. The disclosure, therefore,is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of variousembodiments includes the full range of equivalents to which thedisclosed subject matter is entitled.

As used herein, the term “or” may be construed in either an inclusive orexclusive sense. Moreover, plural instances may be provided forresources, operations, or structures described herein as a singleinstance. Additionally, boundaries between various resources,operations, modules, engines, and data stores are somewhat arbitrary,and particular operations are illustrated in a context of specificillustrative configurations. Other allocations of functionality areenvisioned and may fall within a scope of various embodiments of thepresent disclosure. In general, structures and functionality presentedas separate resources in the example configurations may be implementedas a combined structure or resource. Similarly, structures andfunctionality presented as a single resource may be implemented asseparate resources. These and other variations, modifications,additions, and improvements fall within a scope of embodiments of thepresent disclosure as represented by the appended claims. Thespecification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Each of these non-limiting examples can stand on its own, or can becombined in various permutations or combinations with one or more of theother examples.

Example 1 is an adaptive support garment configured to support a portionof anatomy, the adaptive support garment comprising: an adaptive supportstructure integrated into the adaptive support garment and configured toadjust a portion of the adaptive support garment; and an adaptive enginecoupled to the adaptive support structure to activate adjustment of theportion of the adaptive support garment.

In Example 2, the subject matter of Example 1 includes, wherein theadaptive support structure includes a lacing system.

In Example 3, the subject matter of Examples 1 and 2 includes, whereinthe lacing system includes a lace cable routed through a plurality oflace guides to adjust the portion of the adaptive support garment.

In Example 4, the subject matter of Examples 1-3 includes, wherein theadaptive engine operates to adjust an effective length of the lacecable.

In Example 5, the subject matter of Examples 1-4 includes, wherein theadaptive engine includes a motor and a control system to automaticallyor semi-automatically adjust the adaptive support structure.

In Example 6, the subject matter of Examples 1-5 includes, a sensorpositioned relative to the portion of anatomy to monitor a parameter ofthe portion of anatomy.

In Example 7, the subject matter of Example 6 includes, wherein thesensor monitors a parameter indicative of at least one of the followingparameters of the portion of anatomy: displacement; acceleration;velocity; and movement.

In Example 8, the subject matter of Examples 1-7 includes, wherein theadaptive engine includes a motor and a control system, the controlsystem configured to control the motor in response to informationreceived from the sensor.

In Example 9, the subject matter of Examples 1-8 includes, wherein theadaptive support garment is a bra including shoulder straps, breastcontacting surfaces, and an under-band.

In Example 10, the subject matter of Examples 1-9 includes, wherein theadaptive support structure includes lacing coupled to at least one ofthe shoulder straps, the breast contacting surfaces and the under-band.

In Example 11, the subject matter of Examples 1-10 includes, wherein theadaptive support structure includes a posterior lacing system coupled toa right-wing portion and a left-wing portion to provide gorecompression.

In Example 12, the subject matter of Examples 1-11 includes, wherein theposterior lacing system includes a crisscross lacing pattern runningbetween the right-wing portion and the left-wing portion of the bra.

In Example 13, the subject matter of Examples 1-12 includes, wherein theposterior lacing system includes lacing coupled to a posterior base ofthe shoulder straps.

In Example 14, the subject matter of Examples 1-13 includes, wherein theposterior lacing system includes lacing extending over the shoulderstraps and coupled to a superior portion of the breast contactingsurfaces.

In Example 15, the subject matter of Examples 1-14 includes, wherein theadaptive support structure includes lacing coupled to the under-band.

In Example 16, the subject matter of Examples 1-15 includes, wherein theadaptive support structure includes an anterior lacing system extendingbetween the breast contacting surfaces.

In Example 17, the subject matter of Examples 1-16 includes, wherein theanterior lacing system includes lacing creating a crisscross lacingpattern between a plurality of lace guides along a central edge of eachbreast contacting surface of the breast contacting surfaces.

In Example 18, the subject matter of Example 1-17 includes, wherein theanterior lacing system includes lacing extending through lace guidesdisposed on a portion of each shoulder strap of the shoulder straps.

In Example 19, the subject matter of Examples 1-18 includes, wherein theadaptive support structure includes a lacing system routed through aplurality of lace guides positioned adjacent to the portion of theadaptive support garment.

In Example 20, the subject matter of Examples 1-19 includes, wherein atleast a portion of the plurality of lace guides include a pulley toroute a portion of the lacing system.

Example 21 is an adaptive support garment configured to support aportion of anatomy, the adaptive support garment comprising: an adaptivesupport structure integrated into the adaptive support garment andconfigured to adjust a portion of the adaptive support garment; and anadaptive engine including a motor and a control system, the adaptiveengine coupled to the adaptive support structure to automatically adjustthe portion of the adaptive support garment.

Example 22 is an adaptive support system comprising: an adaptive supportgarment configured to support a portion of anatomy; an adaptive supportstructure integrated into the adaptive support garment, the adaptivesupport structure configured to adjust a first portion of the adaptivesupport garment relative to a second portion of the adaptive supportgarment; a sensor positioned relative to the portion of anatomy tomonitor a parameter associated with the portion of anatomy; and anadaptive engine coupled to the adaptive support structure to adjust thefirst portion of the adaptive support garment based at least in part ondata received from the sensor.

Example 23 is an adaptive support apparel system comprising: an activitysensor monitoring activity of a user; an adaptive support garmentincluding an adaptive support system integrated into the adaptivesupport garment and an adaptive engine coupled to the adaptive supportsystem to automatically adjust a portion of the adaptive support garmentthrough manipulation of the adaptive support system; and a controlcircuit configured to send commands to the adaptive engine in responseto input received from the activity sensor.

In Example 24, the subject matter of Example 23 includes, wherein thecontrol circuit is configured to select a pre-defined activityclassification based on data received from the activity sensor.

In Example 25, the subject matter of Examples 23 and 24 includes,wherein the pre-defined activity classifications include high impact andcomfort.

In Example 26, the subject matter of Examples 23-25 includes, whereinthe control circuit is further configured to determine a support levelbased on the selected pre-defined activity classification.

In Example 27, the subject matter of Examples23-26 includes, wherein theadaptive engine adjusts the adaptive support system based on controlcommands received from the control circuit corresponding to thedetermined support level.

In Example 28, the subject matter of Examples 23-27 includes, whereinthe activity sensor is embedded within a footwear assembly.

In Example 29, the subject matter of Examples 23-28 includes, whereinthe activity sensor is configured to detect foot strike activity.

In Example 30, the subject matter of Examples 23-29 includes, whereinthe control circuit is configured to receive foot strike activity datafrom the activity sensor and calculate a pre-defined activityclassification based on the foot strike activity data.

In Example 31, the subject matter of Examples 23-30 includes, whereinthe activity sensor is an inertial measurement unit (IMU).

In Example 32, the subject matter of Examples 23-31 includes, whereinthe activity sensor is embedded within the adaptive support garment.

In Example 33, the subject matter of Examples 23-32 includes, whereinthe activity sensor is configured to detect soft tissue movement.

In Example 34, the subject matter of Examples 23-33 includes, whereinthe adaptive support garment is a bra and the activity sensor isdisposed within a portion of a breast contacting surface.

In Example 35, the subject matter of Examples 23-34 includes, whereinthe adaptive support garment is a bra and the activity sensor isdisposed within a shoulder strap.

In Example 36, the subject matter of Examples 23-35 includes, whereinthe activity sensor includes at least one of the following: anaccelerometer; a gyroscope; a magnetometer; a global positioning sensor(GPS); a heart rate monitor; a temperature sensor; and a strain gauge.

In Example 37, the subject matter of Examples 23-36 includes, whereinthe control circuit is disposed within a computing device including adisplay and a communication circuit.

In Example 38, the subject matter of Examples 23-37 includes, whereinthe communication circuit is configured to send commands to the adaptiveengine wirelessly.

In Example 39, the subject matter of Examples 23-38 includes, whereinthe computing device is one of a smart watch, a smartphone, or a heartrate monitor.

In Example 40, the subject matter of Examples 23-39 includes, whereinthe adaptive support system includes lacing connecting separate portionsof the adaptive support garment, wherein the lacing is adjustable toalter relative positions of the separate portions of the adaptivesupport garment to produce different support characteristics.

In Example 41, the subject matter of Examples 23-40 includes, whereinthe adaptive support system includes a plurality of lace guides to routethe lacing through the separate portions of the adaptive supportgarment.

In Example 42, the subject matter of Examples 23-41 includes, wherein atleast one segment of the lacing is coupled to a lace spool component ofthe adaptive engine to enable the adaptive engine to alter an effectivelength of the lacing.

In Example 43, the subject matter of Examples 23-42 includes, whereinthe control circuit is configured to analyze data received from theactivity sensor to determine whether to adjust the adaptive supportsystem integrated into the adaptive support garment.

In Example 44, the subject matter of Examples 23-43 includes, whereinupon determining that an adjustment to the adaptive support system isneeded, sending an adjustment command to the adaptive engine to performthe adjustment.

Example 45 is an adaptive support apparel system comprising: an activitysensor monitoring a parameter indicative of an activity level of a user;an adaptive support garment including an adaptive support systemintegrated into the adaptive support garment and an adaptive enginecoupled to the adaptive support system to adjust a first portion of theadaptive support garment relative to a second portion of the adaptivesupport garment through manipulation of the adaptive support system; anda control circuit configured to send commands to the adaptive engine inresponse to input received from the activity sensor.

Example 46 is an adaptive support apparel system comprising: an adaptivesupport garment including an adaptive support system integrated into theadaptive support garment and an adaptive engine coupled to the adaptivesupport system to adjust a first portion of the adaptive support garmentrelative to a second portion of the adaptive support garment throughmanipulation of the adaptive support system; and a control circuitconfigured to control the adaptive engine in response to input receivedindicative of an activity level of a user.

In Example 47, the subject matter of Example 46 includes, a wearablecomputing device including a user interface configured to accept inputsindicative of the activity level of the user; and wherein the controlcircuit is configured to receive the activity level from the wearablecomputing device.

In Example 48, the subject matter of Examples 46-47 includes, anactivity sensor monitoring activity of the user; and wherein the controlcircuit is configured to process input received from the activity sensorto control the adaptive engine.

In Example 49, the subject matter of Examples 46-48 includes, whereinthe control circuit sends pre-defined support level commands to theadaptive engine based on the input received from the activity sensor.

In Example 50, the subject matter of Examples 46-49 includes, selectinga pre-defined activity classification based on the activity level datareceived from the activity sensor.

In Example 51, the subject matter of Examples 46-50 includes, whereinthe pre-defined activity classification is selected from a group ofactivity levels including: low exertion, moderate exertion, elevatedexertion, and high exertion.

In Example 52, the subject matter of Examples 46-51 includes,determining a support level based on the selected pre-defined activityclassification.

In Example 53, the subject matter of Examples 46-52 includes, whereinthe adjusting the portion of the adaptive support garment is based oncontrol commands received from the control circuit corresponding to thedetermined support level.

In Example 54, the subject matter of Examples46-53 includes, wherein theactivity level data is received by the control circuit over a wirelesscommunication link with a footwear assembly housing the activity sensor.

In Example 55, the subject matter of Examples 46-54 includes, extractingfoot strike activity from the activity level data from the activitysensor.

In Example 56, the subject matter of Examples 46-55 includes,calculating a pre-defined activity classification based on the footstrike activity extracted from the activity level data.

In Example 57, the subject matter of Examples 46-56 includes,calculating an activity level based on activity level data from theactivity sensor including at least one of acceleration data, angularrate data, and orientation data.

In Example 58, the subject matter of Examples 46-57 includes, selectinga pre-defined activity classification based on the calculated activitylevel.

In Example 59, the subject matter of Examples 46-57 includes, whereinthe automatically adjusting the portion of the adaptive support garmentis based at least in part on the calculated activity level.

In Example 60, the subject matter of Examples 46-59 includes, whereinthe activity level data is received by the control circuit over acommunication link with the adaptive support garment containing theactivity sensor.

In Example 61, the subject matter of Examples 46-60 includes, whereinreceiving the activity level data includes receiving soft tissuemovement data from the activity sensor embedded in the adaptive supportgarment.

In Example 62, the subject matter of Example 46-61 includes, wherein theactivity level data is received by the control circuit over acommunication link with a heart rate monitor, and wherein receiving theactivity level data includes receiving heart rate data.

In Example 63, the subject matter of Examples 46-62 includes, whereinthe activity level data is received by the control circuit over acommunication link with a global positioning sensor (GPS), and whereinreceiving the activity level data includes receiving at least one ofposition data, velocity data, and acceleration data.

In Example 64, the subject matter of Examples 46-63 includes, whereinautomatically adjusting the portion of the adaptive support garmentincludes manipulating a lacing system connecting separate portions ofthe adaptive support garment, wherein the lacing system is adjustable toalter relative positions of the separate portions of the adaptivesupport garment to produce different support characteristics.

In Example 65, the subject matter of Examples46-64 includes, whereinmanipulating the lacing system includes operating the adaptive engine tochange an effective length of at least a portion of the lacing system.

In Example 66, the subject matter of Examples 46-65 includes, whereinoperating the adaptive engine to change the effective length includesrotating a lace spool coupled to the portion of the lacing system.

Example 67 is a method of dynamically adapting a support apparel systemincluding an adaptive support garment, and a control circuit, the methodcomprising: receiving, at the control circuit, an activity levelindicator; sending control commands to an adaptive engine integratedinto the adaptive support garment; and automatically, in response to thecontrol commands, adjusting a portion of the adaptive support garmentbased on the adaptive engine manipulating an adaptive support structurewithin the adaptive support garment.

In Example 68, the subject matter of Example 67 includes, monitoring anactivity level of a user with an activity sensor; and wherein receivingthe activity level indicator includes receiving activity level datagenerated by the activity sensor.

In Example 69, the subject matter of Examples 67-68 includes, whereinreceiving the activity level indicator includes receiving a supportlevel selection from the control circuit.

In Example 70, the subject matter of Examples 67-69 includes, whereinthe support level selection is obtained from input received by thecontrol circuit from a user interface adapted to receive input from awearer.

In Example 71, the subject matter of Examples 67-70 includes, whereinreceiving the activity level indicator includes: receiving activity datafrom an activity sensor disposed within a footwear assembly; andprocessing, on the control circuit, the activity data to determine theactivity level indicator.

In Example 72, the subject matter of Examples 67-71 includes, extractingone or more step metrics from the activity level data from the activitysensor.

In Example 73, the subject matter of Examples 67-72 includes,calculating the activity level indicator based on the one or more stepmetrics extracted from the activity level data.

In Example 74, the subject matter of Examples 67-73 includes, whereinsending the control commands includes determining a support level forthe adaptive support garment based on the activity level indicator.

Example 75 is an adaptive support garment comprising: a supportstructure configured to wrap around a portion of anatomy of a wearer andprovide compression on the portion of anatomy; a plurality of laceguides disposed on the support structure; a lace cable, extendingthrough the lace guides to form a lacing pattern over a lacing region ofthe support structure and around a portion of a perimeter of the portionof the support structure; and an adaptive engine coupled to the supportstructure and engaged with the lace cable, wherein the adaptive engineis configured to increase or decrease tension on the lace cable toincrease or decrease compression of the support structure, respectively.

In Example 76, the subject matter of Example 75 includes, wherein thelacing pattern includes routing the lace cable completely around theperimeter of the lacing region of the support structure.

In Example 77, the subject matter of Examples 75-76 includes, whereinthe lace guides include a plurality of tubular lace guides positionedalong the perimeter and wherein the lace cable extends through thetubular lace guides.

In Example 78, the subject matter of Examples 75-77 includes, whereinthe adaptive engine is positioned within the lacing region of thesupport structure.

In Example 78, the subject matter of Examples 75-78 includes, whereinthe adaptive engine is positioned over a center point of the lacingregion of the support structure.

In Example 80, the subject matter of Examples 75-79 includes, whereinthe lace cable extends from opposing sides of the adaptive engine.

In Example 81, the subject matter of Examples 75-80 includes, whereinthe lace cable forms a crisscross pattern across the lacing region ofthe support structure above and below the adaptive engine.

In Example 82, the subject matter of Examples 75-81 includes, whereinthe lace cable is secured outside of the perimeter.

In Example 83, the subject matter of Examples 75-82 includes, an anchorsecured to the support structure, wherein the lace cable is secured tothe anchor.

In Example 84, the subject matter of Examples 75-83 includes, whereinthe anchor is configured to take up the lace around the anchor.

In Example 85, the subject matter of Examples 75-84 includes, whereinthe lace cable includes a first lace cable and a separate second lacecable.

In Example 86, the subject matter of Examples75-85 includes, wherein thefirst lace cable forms a first lacing zone extending proximally from aproximal side of the adaptive engine, and the second lace cable forms asecond lacing zone extending distally from a distal side of the adaptiveengine.

In Example 87, the subject matter of Examples 75-86 includes, whereinthe second lace cable is routed from a distal end of the adaptivesupport garment along the perimeter of the support structure to aproximal end.

In Example 88, the subject matter of Examples 75-86 includes, whereinthe adaptive engine is positioned at a mid-point along a proximal-distallength of the support structure.

Example 89 is an adaptive support garment comprising: a supportstructure configured to wrap around a portion of anatomy of a wearer toprovide compression to the portion of the anatomy; a plurality of laceguides disposed on the support structure; a lace cable, extendingthrough the lace guides to form a lacing pattern over a lacing region ofthe support structure; an adaptive engine coupled to the supportstructure and engaged with the lace cable, wherein the adaptive engineis configured to increase or decrease tension on the lace cable toincrease or decrease compression of the support structure, respectively;and an airbag, positioned between the lacing region and a wearer-facingsurface of the adaptive support garment, the airbag configured todistribute force from the lace cable along the airbag.

In Example 90, the subject matter of Example 89 includes, wherein theairbag forms a notch sized to receive, at least in part, the adaptivesupport engine and wherein the adaptive support engine is disposed inthe notch.

In Example 91, the subject matter of Examples 89 and 90 includes,wherein the adaptive support engine is configured to be drawn into thenotch upon a tension being placed on the lace cable.

In Example 92, the subject matter of Examples 89-91 includes, whereinthe notch is positioned at a center point along a proximal-distal lengthof the airbag.

In Example 93, the subject matter of Examples 89-92 includes, whereinthe support structure comprises a first layer and a second layer forminga cavity therebetween, wherein the airbag is positioned within thecavity.

In Example 94, the subject matter of Examples 89-93 includes, astiffening element extending longitudinally along a longitudinal axis ofthe support structure.

In Example 95, the subject matter of Examples 89-94 includes, whereinthe stiffening element extends along a first side of the lacing region.

In Example 96, the subject matter of Examples 89-95 includes, whereinthe stiffening element is a first stiffening element and furthercomprising a second stiffening element positioned along a second side ofthe lacing region opposite the first side of the lacing region.

In Example 97, the subject matter of Examples 89-96 includes, whereinthe stiffening element is positioned between the first and secondlayers.

In Example 98, the subject matter of Examples 89-97 includes, whereinthe airbag is substantially coextensive with the lacing region.

In Example 99, the subject matter of Examples 89-98 includes, a pressuresensor configured to detect a pressure within the airbag, the pressuresensor operatively coupled to the adaptive engine, wherein the adaptiveengine is configured to increase or decrease tension on the lace basedin part on the pressure within the airbag detected by the pressuresensor.

In Example 100, the subject matter of Examples 89-99 includes, whereinthe pressure sensor is positioned within the airbag.

In Example 101, the subject matter of Examples 89-100 includes, whereinthe adaptive engine is disposed in the center of the support structure.

In Example 102, the subject matter of Examples 89-101 includes, whereinthe lacing pattern extends above and below the adaptive engine along alongitudinal axis of the support structure.

In Example 103, the subject matter of Examples 89-102 includes, whereinthe lace cable extends from opposing sides of the adaptive engine.

In Example 104, the subject matter of Examples 89-103 includes, whereinthe adaptive engine includes a spool configured to take up the lacecable, wherein the lace cable is configured to exit the spool onopposing sides of the spool.

In Example 105, the subject matter of Examples 89-104 includes, whereinthe lace cable forms a crisscross pattern across the lacing region ofthe support structure above and below the adaptive engine.

In Example 106, the subject matter of Examples 89-105 includes, whereinthe support structure comprises a first half and a second half and azipper extending along the longitudinal axis of the support structure,the zipper configured to join the first half to the second half to formthe tubular support structure.

In Example 107, the subject matter of Examples 89-106 includes, whereinthe support structure comprises a first elastic portion extendingbetween a first side of the lacing region and the zipper and a secondelastic portion extending between a second side of the lacing region andthe zipper.

In Example 108, the subject matter of Examples 89-107 includes, whereinthe first and second elastic portions are formed from a mesh.

In Example 109, the subject matter of Examples 89-108 includes, whereinthe portion of anatomy of the wearer is a first portion wherein thesupport structure forms a flared portion below the lacing region toadmit a second portion of anatomy of the wearer.

In Example 110, the subject matter of Examples 89-109 includes, whereinthe flared portion is sized to admit an ankle of the wearer.

In Example 111, the subject matter of Examples 89-110 includes, whereinthe lacing pattern does not extend into the flared portion.

In Example 112, the subject matter of Examples 89-111 includes, whereinthe flared portion is not compressed upon tensioning the lace cable.

In Example 113, the subject matter of Examples 89-112 includes, whereinthe lacing pattern is a split helix pattern.

In Example 114, the subject matter of Examples 89-113 includes, whereinthe split helix pattern is formed along a medial section of an inferiorportion of the support structure and along a lateral section of asuperior portion of the support structure.

Example 115 is a method for operating an adaptive compression garment,the method comprising: activating a control circuit communicativelycoupled to an adaptive engine on the adaptive compression garment;receiving, on the control circuit, a selection of a compressionsequence; transmitting, from the control circuit to the adaptive engine,a series of compression and release commands; and operating the adaptiveengine in response to the series of compression and release commands toperform the compression sequence.

In Example 116, the subject matter of Example 115 includes, whereinoperating the adaptive engine includes engaging a lacing system with theadaptive engine to tension the lacing system in response to acompression command.

In Example 117, the subject matter of Examples 115-116 includes, whereintensioning the lacing system includes shortening an effective length ofa lace cable within the lacing system to create a compression of theadaptive compression garment.

In Example 118, the subject matter of Examples 115-117 includes, whereinoperating the adaptive engine includes engaging a lacing system with theadaptive engine to loosen the lacing system in response to a releasecommand.

In Example 119, the subject matter of Examples 115-118 includes, whereinloosening the lacing system includes lengthening an effective length ofa lace cable within the lacing system to release a compression of theadaptive compression garment.

In Example 120, the subject matter of Examples 115-119 includes, whereinthe series of compression and release commands includes compressioncommands, hold commands, and release commands arranged in pre-definedsequences.

In Example 121, the subject matter of Examples 115-120 includes, whereinoperating the adaptive engine includes rotating a lace spool engaging alace cable of a lacing system integrated into the adaptive compressiongarment.

In Example 122, the subject matter of Examples 115-121 includes, whereinrotating the lace spool in a first direction shortens an effectivelength of the lace cable and introduces a tension into the lacing systemthat produces a compression within a portion of the adaptive compressiongarment.

In Example 123, the subject matter of Examples 115-122 includes, whereinrotating the lace spool in a second direction lengthens the effectivelength of the lace cable and releases the tension on the lacing system.

In Example 124, the subject matter of Examples 115-123 includes, whereinoperating the adaptive engine includes manipulating a lace spool withinthe adaptive engine, the lace spool engaging a plurality of lace cablesof a lacing system integrated into the lacing system.

Example 125 is an adaptive recovery system comprising: a first adaptivecompression garment including a first lacing system coupled to a firstadaptive engine configured to automatically manipulate a tension on thelacing system; a second adaptive compression garment includes, a secondlacing system coupled to a second adaptive engine configured toautomatically manipulate a tension on the second lacing system; and acontrol circuit communicatively coupled to the first adaptive engine andthe second adaptive engine, the controller including a processor andmemory device including instructions that, upon execution by theprocessor, cause the controller to transmit commands to the firstadaptive engine and the second adaptive engine to coordinate tensioningof the first lacing system and the second lacing system.

In Example 126, the subject matter of Example 125 includes, wherein thememory device includes additional instructions to transmit commands toproduce a series of tensioning and release cycles on the first adaptiveengine and the second adaptive engine.

In Example 127, the subject matter of Examples 125-126 includes, whereinthe first adaptive compression garment is configured to applycompression to an upper leg region of a wearer.

In Example 128, the subject matter of Examples 125-127 includes, whereinthe second adaptive compression garment is configured to applycompression to a lower leg region of a wearer.

In Example 129, the subject matter of Examples 125-128 includes, whereinthe first adaptive compression garment is configured to applycompression to a lower leg region of a wearer.

In Example 130, the subject matter of Examples 125-129 includes, anadaptive footwear assembly including a third adaptive engine coupled toa third lacing system disposed within the footwear assembly, wherein thethird adaptive engine and the third lacing system are configured toapply compression to a foot of a wearer.

In Example 131, the subject matter of Examples 125-130 includes, whereinthe adaptive footwear assembly comprises the control circuit.

In Example 132, the subject matter of Examples 125-131 includes, whereinthe control circuit is a component of the third adaptive engine.

In Example 133, the subject matter of Examples 125-132 includes, whereinthe control circuit is communicatively coupled to the first adaptiveengine and the second adaptive engine via a wireless connection.

In Example 134, the subject matter of Examples 125-133 includes, whereinthe control circuit is configured to coordinate tensioning of the thirdlacing system with the tensioning of the first and second lacingsystems.

In Example 135, the subject matter of Examples 125-134 includes, whereinthe first adaptive engine comprises a sensor, operatively coupled to thecontrol circuit, configured to output a signal indicative of: aphysiological condition of a wearer of the first adaptive compressiongarment; or a state of the first lacing system; and wherein the controlcircuit is further configured to coordinate tensioning of the firstlacing system and the second lacing system based, at least in part, onthe signal output by the sensor.

In Example 136, the subject matter of Examples 125-135 includes, whereinthe sensor is a first sensor and wherein the second adaptive enginecomprises a second sensor, operatively coupled to the control circuit,configured to output a signal indicative of: a physiological conditionof the wearer; or a state of the second lacing system; and wherein thecontroller is further configured to coordinate of the first lacingsystem and the second lacing system based, at least in part, on thesignals output by the first and second sensors.

Example 137 is a method for operating an adaptive recovery system,comprising: activating a control circuit communicatively coupled to afirst adaptive engine on a first adaptive recovery garment and a secondadaptive engine on a second adaptive recovery garment; receiving on thecontrol circuit a selection of a compression sequence; transmitting,from the controller to the first and second adaptive engines a series ofcoordinated compression and release commands; and operating the firstand second adaptive engines in response to the series of coordinatedcompression and release commands to perform the compression sequence.

In Example 138, the subject matter of Example 137 includes, wherein theseries of coordinated compression and release commands comprise separatecompression and release commands for the first and second adaptiveengines to create a differential compression between the first andsecond adaptive recovery garments.

In Example 139, the subject matter of Examples 137 and 138 includes,wherein the series of coordinated compression and release commandsfurther comprise separate compression and release commands for the firstand second adaptive engines to dynamically change the differentialcompression by changing the differential compression over time.

In Example 140, the subject matter of Examples 137-139 includes, whereinoperating the first and second adaptive engines includes engaging afirst and second lacing system, respectively, to separately tension thefirst and second lacing systems, respectively in response to acompression command.

In Example 141, the subject matter of Examples 137-140 includes, whereinthe compression command includes a first compression command for thefirst adaptive engine and a second compression command for the secondadaptive engine, wherein the first compression command is separatelyselectable relative to the second compression command.

In Example 142, the subject matter of Examples 137-141 includes, whereintensioning the first and second lacing systems includes shortening aneffective length of a first and second lace cable, respectively, tocreate a compression of the first and second adaptive recovery garments,respectively.

In Example 143, the subject matter of Examples 137-142 includes, whereinoperating the first and second adaptive engines includes engaging afirst and second lacing system, respectively, to separately loosen thefirst and second lacing systems in response to a release command.

In Example 144, the subject matter of Examples 137-143 includes, whereinloosening the lacing system includes lengthening an effective length ofa lace cable within the lacing system to release a compression of theadaptive recovery garment.

In Example 145, the subject matter of Examples 137-144 includes, whereinthe series of compression and release commands includes compressioncommands, hold commands, and release commands arranged in a pre-definedsequence.

In Example 146, the subject matter of Examples 137-145 includes, whereinoperating the first and second adaptive engines includes rotating afirst and second lace spool, respectively, engaging a first and secondlace cable, respectively, integrated into the first and second adaptiverecovery garments, respectively.

In Example 147, the subject matter of Examples 137-146 includes, whereinactivating the control circuit further includes communicatively couplingto a third adaptive engine integrated into a footwear assembly.

In Example 148, the subject matter of Examples 137-147 includes, whereintransmitting the series of coordinated compression and release commandsincludes transmitting at least a portion of the series of coordinatedcompression and release commands to the third adaptive engine.

In Example 149, the subject matter of Examples 137-148 includes,operating the third adaptive engine in response to the portion of theseries of coordinated compression and release commands received by thethird adaptive engine.

In Example 150, the subject matter of Examples 137-149 includes, whereinthe portion of the series of coordinated compression and releasecommands received by the third adaptive engine create at least one of: adifferential compression between the footwear assembly and at least oneof the first and second adaptive recovery garments, and a dynamicallychanging differential compression between the footwear assembly and atleast one of the first and second adaptive recovery garments.

Example 151 is a method for operating an adaptive compression system,the method comprising: activating a control circuit communicativelycoupled to a first adaptive recovery garment and a second adaptiverecovery garment, the first adaptive recovery garment adapted to applycompression to a first portion of anatomy and the second adaptiverecovery garment adapted to apply compression to a second portion ofanatomy; receiving, on a control circuit, a selection of a coordinatedrecovery sequence, the coordinated recovery sequence comprising a seriesof coordinated compression and release commands including a first seriesof compression and release commands and a second series of compressionand release commands; executing, on the first adaptive recovery garment,the first series of compression and release commands; and executing, onthe second adaptive recovery garment in coordination with the firstadaptive recovery garment, the second series of compression and releasecommands.

Example 152 a system with sensor and control information derived fromfootwear sensors and/or apparel sensors, and processed by a centralcontrol device (e.g., a smart phone or central processing system withina lacing engine).

Example 153 is at least one machine-readable medium includinginstructions that, when executed by processing circuitry, cause theprocessing circuitry to perform operations to implement of any ofExamples 1-152.

Example 154 is an apparatus comprising means to implement of any ofExamples 1-152.

Example 155 is a system to implement of any of Examples 1-152.

Example 156 is a method to implement of any of Examples 1-152.

The above detailed description includes references to the accompanyingdrawings, which form a part of the detailed description. The drawingsshow, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which theinvention can be practiced. These embodiments are also referred toherein as “examples.” Such examples can include elements in addition tothose shown or described. However, the present inventors alsocontemplate examples in which only those elements shown or described areprovided. Moreover, the present inventors also contemplate examplesusing any combination or permutation of those elements shown ordescribed (or one or more aspects thereof), either with respect to aparticular example (or one or more aspects thereof), or with respect toother examples (or one or more aspects thereof) shown or describedherein.

In the event of inconsistent usages between this document and anydocuments so incorporated by reference, the usage in this documentcontrols.

In this document, the terms “a” or “an” are used, as is common in patentdocuments, to include one or more than one, independent of any otherinstances or usages of “at least one” or “one or more.” In thisdocument, the term “or” is used to refer to a nonexclusive or, such that“A or B” includes “A but not B,” “B but not A,” and “A and B,” unlessotherwise indicated. In this document, the terms “including” and “inwhich” are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respective terms“comprising” and “wherein.” Also, in the following claims, the terms“including” and “comprising” are open-ended, that is, a system, device,article, composition, formulation, or process that includes elements inaddition to those listed after such a term in a claim are still deemedto fall within the scope of that claim. Moreover, in the followingclaims, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third,” etc. are used merelyas labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements ontheir objects.

Method examples described herein, such as operation of adaptive supportgarment examples, can be machine or computer-implemented at least inpart. Some examples can include a computer-readable medium ormachine-readable medium encoded with instructions operable to configurean electronic device to perform methods as described in the aboveexamples. An implementation of such methods can include code, such asmicrocode, assembly language code, a higher-level language code, or thelike. Such code can include computer readable instructions forperforming various methods. The code may form portions of computerprogram products. Further, in an example, the code can be tangiblystored on one or more volatile, non-transitory, or non-volatile tangiblecomputer-readable media, such as during execution or at other times.Examples of these tangible computer-readable media can include, but arenot limited to, hard disks, removable magnetic disks, removable opticaldisks (e.g., compact disks and digital video disks), magnetic cassettes,memory cards or sticks, random access memories (RAMs), read onlymemories (ROMs), and the like.

The above description is intended to be illustrative, and notrestrictive. For example, the above-described examples (or one or moreaspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. Otherembodiments can be used, such as by one of ordinary skill in the artupon reviewing the above description. An Abstract, if provided, isincluded to comply with United States Rule 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b), to allowthe reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure.It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used tointerpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Also, in theabove Description, various features may be grouped together tostreamline the disclosure. This should not be interpreted as intendingthat an unclaimed disclosed feature is essential to any claim. Rather,inventive subject matter may lie in less than all features of aparticular disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are herebyincorporated into the Detailed Description as examples or embodiments,with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment, and it iscontemplated that such embodiments can be combined with each other invarious combinations or permutations. The scope of the invention shouldbe determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the fullscope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

The claimed invention includes:
 1. An adaptive support apparel system comprising: an activity sensor configured to monitor activity of a user; an adaptive bra including an adaptive support system integrated into the adaptive bra and an adaptive engine coupled to the adaptive support system to automatically adjust a portion of the adaptive bra through manipulation of an effective length of a lacing system coupled to the adaptive engine within the adaptive support system; and a control circuit configured to send commands to the adaptive engine in response to input received from the activity sensor.
 2. The adaptive support apparel system of claim 1, wherein the lacing system is routed through a posterior portion of the adaptive bra.
 3. The adaptive support apparel system of claim 2, wherein the lacing system is integrated into at least shoulder straps of the adaptive bra.
 4. The adaptive support apparel system of claim 2, wherein the adaptive engine engages a portion of the lacing system along a posterior portion of the adaptive bra.
 5. The adaptive support apparel system of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to select a pre-defined activity classification based on data received from the activity sensor.
 6. The adaptive support apparel system of claim 5, wherein the control circuit is further configured to determine a support level based on the selected pre-defined activity classification.
 7. The adaptive support apparel system of claim 6, wherein the adaptive engine is configured to adjust the adaptive support system based on control commands received from the control circuit corresponding to the determined support level.
 8. The adaptive support apparel system of claim 1, wherein the activity sensor is embedded within a footwear assembly.
 9. The adaptive support apparel system of claim 1, wherein the activity sensor is embedded within the adaptive bra.
 10. The adaptive support apparel system of claim 9, wherein the activity sensor is configured to detect soft tissue movement.
 11. The adaptive support apparel system of claim 10, wherein the activity sensor is disposed within a portion of a breast contacting surface of the adaptive bra.
 12. The adaptive support apparel system of claim 10, wherein the activity sensor is disposed within a shoulder strap of the adaptive bra.
 13. The adaptive support apparel system of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is disposed within a computing device including a display and a communication circuit.
 14. The adaptive support apparel system of claim 13, wherein the communication circuit is configured to send commands to the adaptive engine wirelessly.
 15. The adaptive support apparel system of claim 13, wherein the computing device is one of a smart watch, a smartphone, or a heart rate monitor.
 16. The adaptive support apparel system of claim 1, wherein the lacing system is adjustable to alter relative positions of the separate portions of the adaptive bra to produce different support characteristics.
 17. The adaptive support apparel system of claim 16, wherein the adaptive support system includes a plurality of lace guides to route the lacing system through the separate portions of the adaptive bra.
 18. The adaptive support apparel system of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to analyze data received from the activity sensor to determine whether to adjust the adaptive support system integrated into the adaptive bra.
 19. An adaptive support apparel system comprising: an activity sensor configured to monitor a parameter indicative of an activity level of a user; an adaptive bra including an adaptive support system integrated into at least a posterior portion of the adaptive bra and an adaptive engine coupled to the adaptive support system to adjust a first portion of the adaptive bra relative to a second portion of the adaptive bra through manipulation of the adaptive support system; and a control circuit configured to send commands to the adaptive engine in response to input received from the activity sensor.
 20. An adaptive bra comprising: an adaptive support system including a lacing system integrated into the adaptive bra; an adaptive engine integrated into the adaptive support system and engaging the lacing system to adjust a first portion of the adaptive support garment relative to a second portion of the adaptive support garment through manipulation of the lacing system; and a control circuit configured to control the adaptive engine in response to input received indicative of an activity level of a user, wherein manipulation of the lacing system includes manipulation of an effective length of a portion of the lacing system through activation of a motorized lacing spool within the adaptive engine. 